Results
Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (4/10/26)
Pat McAfee is back again!
Will there be a receipt waiting for Randy Orton & Pat McAfee tonight?
As WrestleMania is fast approaching, Pat McAfee & Randy Orton are in San Jose, but so is Cody Rhodes! Will it all explode before the title match?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Bayley w/ Lyra Valkyria VS Alexa Bliss w/ Charlotte Flair; Alexa wins.
- Royce Keys VS Berto w/ Angel; Royce wins.
- Jacob Fatu VS Tama Tonga; Fatu wins.
- Trick Williams w/ Lil Yachty VS Matt Cardona; Trick wins.
- Kit Wilson w/ The Miz VS Danhausen; Danhausen wins.
- Iyo Sky VS Jade Cargill; Jade wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Cody Rhodes arrives backstage.
And he asks Nick Aldis where to find Pat McAfee and Randy Orton. Aldis says they’re not here, but he wants Cody to listen. He knows what’s going through Cody’s mind, what he wants, but Aldis is under strict orders. Cody is not to touch Pat McAfee under any circumstances. Wow, Aldis is under strict orders? From who? Above Aldis, and Cody knows what that means. In steps Jelly Roll and HE asks where Pat and Orton are! Aldis tells Jelly they’re not here, but on the way. But again, he knows what happened to Jelly, and Jelly cannot engage. There is so much at stake for WrestleMania. So please, just stay out of it.
Jelly says it’s always something. But he tells Cody that this isn’t even about Pat or Jelly or Aldis. This is about 20 years of friendship and the betrayal Orton committed. This is Randy Orton VS Cody Rhodes, don’t let nobody tell you otherwise. This is bigger than just Cody’s story now. Chew on that, champ. Jelly heads out and Cody certainly has a lot to think about. Will the American Nightmare be able to keep a cool head once Orton and McAfee arrive?
Rhea Ripley is here!
The fans cheer as Mami makes her way to the ring, and between the anger on her face and the shirt on her body, she’s ready to avenge the Genius of the Sky. Rhea paces as she grabs a mic, and she says, “Congratulations, Jade! You finally used your brain for something! And you managed to find my one and only weakness. So now, now, now, now, now it’s not about physiques, it’s not about titles, because you made this real personal. You’ve done it! You attacked my Iyo! So now, I’m gonna need you to come out here so I can whoop your ass!” The fans cheer that! Wait, Iyo’s music hits? Iyo Sky is back already, sore as she’s feeling, and she joins Rhea in the ring.
Rhea asks Iyo what she’s doing here, but Iyo says she knows Rhea is angry. And so is Iyo! Jade attacked her, and Iyo knows Rhea gets Jade at Mania. But Iyo wants to face Jade tonight! Rhea is worried, Iyo isn’t 100%. Is she sure this is what she wants? Rhea can deal with it. The fans cheer Iyo, and Iyo says she is sure! She will talk to Nick Aldis if she has to! Iyo WANTS to fight Jade tonight! The fans fire up for that! But then Aldis hurries out here and says he’ll save us the conversation. While he has something else in mind, he never lets a good idea go to waste. Tonight, Iyo VS Jade in the main event of SmackDown!
The fans cheer, and Iyo is fired up! Rhea is still worried, but can the Genius find a way to weather The Storm?
Bayley w/ Lyra Valkyria VS Alexa Bliss w/ Charlotte Flair!
San Jose welcomes their Role Model home, and she is ready to lead by example! But will she be ready for Las Vegas next week? Or will Lil’ Miss Bliss sour things for the entire Golden State?
The bell rings and the fans cheer Bayley as she and Alexa circle. They feel things out, tie up, and Bayley headlocks. Alexa powers up and out, but Bayley RUNS her over! Cover, ONE, but Bayley gets moving. Bayley RUNS Alexa over again, then runs to basement UPPERCUT! Then SLIDING- NO, Alexa catches Bayley to a ghost pin, ONE! Bayley blocks the clinch to roll Alexa. Alexa rolls through, but Bayley kicks low, only for Alexa to fight off the Rose Plant! The fans cheer the standoff, and the two reset. They tie up, Bayley ROCKS Alexa, bumps her off buckles, then fires off forearms! Alexa shoves Bayley away, then dodges as Bayley comes back.
Bayley hobbles, Alexa drop toeholds her onto ropes, and Bayley falls back. Alexa steps on Bayley for the skateboard stomps! The fans boo but Alexa stops as the ref counts. Alexa does a jig to taunt Lyra cuz she’s Irish, then Alexa steps on Bayley again. The fans boo but Alexa steps off to run, only for Bayley to CLOBBER her! Alexa bails out, Bayley WRECKS her with a dropkick, and the fans cheer again! Bayley smiles while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Bayley checks her neck and shoulders before going over to Alexa. Bayley CLUBS Alexa, puts her in the ring, then covers, TWO! Alexa is tougher than that, but Bayley stands her up to ROCK her! The fans cheer Bayley on as she snap suplexes Alexa! Cover, TWO! Bayley drags Alexa up, TOSSES her out, then follows her so be in front of the front row. The fans cheer as Bayley swings, but Alexa ROCKS Bayley first! Alexa SMACKS Bayley off the apron, then shoves her inside. Bayley LARIATS Alexa in return! Alexa is dazed from that hit but Bayley KNEES her in the back! And KNEES her again! Cover, TWO! Alexa toughs it out but Bayley is on her at the ropes.
Bayley bumps Alexa off buckles, stomps a mudhole in, but stops as the ref counts. Bayley TOSSES Alexa through ropes, then brings her back in. Alexa stops the hotshot and runs up to roll Bayley up! TWO! Bayley DECKS Alexa! Bayley sits Alexa up to KNEE her in the back again, and clamps on a chinlock. Alexa endures, pries at the hold, and fights around. Alexa rises up, fires body shots, then arm-drags free. Alexa then wrenches Bayley for a reverse arm wringer! Then a SENTON! Both women are down but Charlotte and Lyra rally the fans. Bayley and Alexa stand, Alexa CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS again!
Alexa runs, LARIATS, then LARIATS again! Alexa tops it off with a SHOTGUN! Bayley comes back but Alexa SMACKS, ROCKS, KNEES, and SHOTGUNS Bayley down! The fans still rally for Bayley but Alexa hits the BLOCKBUSTER! Cover, TWO! The fans cheer as Bayley survives, but Alexa brings Bayley up. Bayley SHOVES Alexa to a corner, but runs into a guzel! STO! INSULT2INJURY misses at the end! Bayley sunset flip BUCKLE BOMBS Alexa! Bayley then drags Alexa to the cover, TWO! Bayley grows frustrated but Charlotte coaches “Blisster” on. Bayley shouts at Charlotte before she climbs up. But Alexa trips Bayley up!
Alexa has Bayley in the Tree of Woe, and she runs to DROPKICK Bayley down! Now Alexa climbs up, but Bayley rises to ROCK Alexa! Bayley and Alexa trade shots and Bayley falls back. Bayley hobbles, but Alex hits a TORNADO DDT! Cover, TWO! Bayley survives and the fans fire up again! Alexa drags Bayley up, clinches, but Bayley turns it into BAYLEY2BELLY! Both women are down and the fans are thunderous! Bayley rises, Alexa follows, and the fans rally as hard as they can! The fists fly fast ‘n’ furious and the fans are loving it! Alexa ROCKS Bayley, then reels Bayley inot a cradle, TWO! Bayley jackknife bridges, TWO!
Both women stand, Alexa has the Oklahoma Roll, but Bayley has the ROPEBREAK! Bayley CLUBS Alexa, then schoolgirl rolls her into the buckles! Bayley puts Alexa in the drop zone, hurries up top, and MACHO ELBOWS!! Cover, TWO!!! Alexa survives and Bayley is in furious disbelief! Alexa bails out, but Bayley slides out, and she shoves Charlotte aside to CHOP Alexa! “WOO~!” Charlotte says how dare you! Bayley CHOPS, and CHOPS, and Alexa flops against the desk! Bayley puts Alexa back in, then Fargo struts her way to the steps. Charlotte throws her jacket off, Lyra gets in Charlotte’s face, and Bayley HOTSHOTS Alexa!
The ref argues with Lyra, and The Queen throws her jacket at Bayley! Bayley throws it back! Alexa rolls Bayley up, with a high stack! ALEXA WINS!!
Winner: Alexa Bliss, by pinfall
The Daughter of the Dirtiest Player in the Game just used distraction tactics to ruin things for Bayley! But it’ll still be a Fatal 4 Way at WrestleMania, will tricks be enough to take the titles? Or can #BayLyra finally have their WrestleMania Moment?
Matt Cardona talks with Carmelo Hayes.
They’re in the Medical Trainer room, and The Complete tells H1M that he knows what it’s like, he’s been where he’s been. Sometimes, it takes a long time to get a Mania Moment. Melo has to wait patiently. But Trick Williams & Lil Yachty check in. Yachty is limping to mock Melo’s leg, and he’s wearing a Gingerbread Man shirt to mock Sami Zayn. Trick says sorry about the leg. He thought Melo was gonna win last week. Oh, he did, huh? Melo ain’t about to hear that, because Trick is part of the reason he lost! And suddenly, Sami wants to be an opportunist, taking that title and going to WrestleMania for it.
Melo tells Trick to get out of here, he has to rehab the knee. Yachty says the good news is, Melo gets to watch Trick Williams become the NEW WWE United States Champion from the comfort of his couch. Oh, couch, huh? That’s where Yachty should stay. But Melo does hope Trick wins, because on the other side of Mania, Melo will be waiting to beat him and take that title back. Yachty says Karens go over there. Trick keeps the peace between the two, and then asks what the hell Cardona is looking at. Cardona says he’s sick and tired of these “guests” running their mouths like they own the place. And yeah, he means Yachty.
Trick says usually, he doesn’t have time for this. But Trick just has to brush off the lemon pepper steppers and take off the mink coat. He’s going to WrestleMania. Yachty says Trick can handle Cardona tonight! He ain’t scared of you! Oh, great idea! Cardona will talk to Aldis! Cardona heads out, Trick says fine, but then he tells Yachty he really does have to watch what he says. Will Trick have a smooth ride into WrestleMania? Or is Cardona about to Whoop Dat Trick?
Drew McIntyre speaks.
“You’re not a victim, Jacob. No, you’re a failure. You’re a failure as a man, and you are a failure as a father. And tonight, we’re in San Jose, your hometown, and I know so many of your family are there tonight. I bet it’s been nice having Jacob with you these past few years, but you’re probably more familiar seeing him right here.” Drew reveals he’s sitting in a prison cell. Drew says Fatu is not an inspiration. This cell represents who Fatu is, and he’ll always be. A convict! Talk about taking food off your family’s table, look in the mirror! Fatu did that when he chose a life of crime over his own blood! Over feeding his starving children!
They needed a provider, a father, but instead he gave them a mugshot! Fatu never changes. All he does is steal. He doesn’t belong in the WWE, Drew’s home. He belongs in a cage because he’s an animal! Unsanctioned at WrestleMania, Drew will beat Fatu within an inch of his life! And then, Fatu will just screw up again, and end up right back here! The system didn’t fail Fatu, it failed Drew by letting Fatu out and letting him steal from Drew! Fatu stole Drew’s title, he stole Drew’s WrestleMania main event, he stole everything from him! Fatu is a liability, but Drew makes it right. At Mania, Drew will be judge, jury, and executioner!
Jacob Fatu finishes watching.
Fatu snarls, but Cathy Kelley walks in to bring up the “cutting words” from Drew. Drew criticized Fatu’s character as a man, a father, and as a competitor. What are his feelings? Fatu says just to tap in real quick, we are live and direct from San Jose in the Bay Area! But Drew, you’ll find out- MFT walks over and Solo Sikoa mockingly asks what Drew’s gonna find out from Fatu. Fatu ain’t the only one with family in the Bay Area. But that ain’t the problem, the real problem is when Drew or anyone else brings up Fatu’s past, it just makes the family look bad. And it’s just a big embarrassment. Fatu says hey, Solo, they not doing this tonight.
And to double back, they could run this back, Fatu VS Solo. Solo laughs and says hold on now. Isn’t this where Fatu got teeth knocked out of his mouth? Or was it over there? Who even did it? It’d be a shame if it happened again. Ain’t that right, Tama? Tama looks to Solo, and Fatu asks what’s up then. Tama says Fatu knows what it is. Solo will talk with Aldis and tell him Tama will handle business. MFT heads out, will the Good Bad Guy get stuck fighting the Samoan Werewolf on Solo’s behalf?
Royce Keys speaks.
From East Palo Alto, California, the Powerhouse grew up in “a place where choice is a luxury.” Gang violence, drugs, anything you can think of, it was here. Royce was lucky to have two grandparents who weren’t having it. His grandma made sure none of that from the outside world was brought into the house. There was nothing but love in the house. Royce talks about the backyard Royal Rumbles they had growing up, throwing each other up and over the fence. They didn’t have a lot, but they had each other. Grandma showed them they were allowed to dream big, that there was a world beyond where they were from.
Royce got into pro-wrestling, it brought him so much happiness. He knew he wanted to do this. Not a lot of people make it out of here, but this is all he knows, this is what brings him peace. This is it. He refuses to be defined by where he is from, but instead by where he is going. Does Royce have all the keys to success here in the WWE?
Royce Keys VS Berto w/ Angel!
SmackDown returns as Los Garza wait in the ring. And now, the Powerhouse from Palo Alto makes his entrance, getting a hero’s welcome from San Jose. The bell rings and the fans cheer Royce on. Berto gets around him, slaps him around, but the fans boo. Royce smirks, storms up, but Berto headlocks. Royce powers up and out and RUNS Berto over! The fans fire up as Royce then RIPCORDS Berto for the POWERSLAM! Berto flounders to a corner, Royce JABS, JABS, JABS, and he sits Berto down. Royce goes corner to corner but Berto bails out! The fans boo but Angel is there to protect his cousin. The ref reprimands, but Berto POSTS Royce!
The fans boo again but Berto pushes Royce in. Berto goes up top, MISSILE DROPKICK! Cover, ONE!! Royce is tougher than that, but Berto rains down fists! The fans boo but Berto soaks up the heat. Berto pushes Royce to the corner, stomps him, then climbs up to rain down fists! But Royce just carries Berto! Berto slips free, goes up, and CROSSBODIES, but into Royce’s arms! FALL AWAY SLAM! The fans fire up as Royce then scoops Berto to RUNNING POWERSLAM! And then a SPLASH in the corner! Royce puts Berto across the ropes, CLUBS away, but Angel rushes up! Royce DECKS Angel!
The straps come down, TOWN BIDNESS SPINEBUSTER! Cover, Royce wins!
Winner: Royce Keys, by pinfall
From Royal Rumble to right before WrestleMania, Royce Keys continues to impress. Will nothing stop this Powerhouse from taking over the WWE?
Pat McAfee arrives.
He parks his truck, enjoys the sunny day in San Jose, and then says ‘ello to Aldis. Did Aldis tell ’em? Yes, no one from WWE is allowed to touch Pat tonight. Pat thanks Aldis for that, then pats Aldis on the shoulder. Chin up, mate! It’s Mania season! Pat hands Aldis his keys and tells him to handle the Rav. Pat continues inside, but JELLY is there! Jelly Roll asks if Pat told Randy to RKO him that night. Pat says no, he’d never do that. He just told Randy to kill everything in his way. Jelly shouldn’t have even been out there to begin with, getting between Cody and Randy. Jelly says yeah, he shouldn’t have, but neither should Pat!
Why is Pat doing this? Pat tells Jelly this is a lot bigger than even he could imagine. Jelly is an outsider, he’s not supposed to be part of “our” business. Jelly would never get it. Jelly says someone needs to put Pat in check. Pat says that’d be a bad decision, especially considering Randy Orton is around. What if Jelly checks Pat now? Randy ain’t here! Well, that’d still be a bad idea, “Belly Roll.” Jelly pushes Pat against the wall! Aldis storms in, Jelly tells him that he doesn’t work here, so that edict don’t apply to him! Pat says yeah, Jelly doesn’t work here, so he should just roll on out of here. Get this ex-convict outta here!
Pat heads off, and he says he’s gotta go save the business alongside Randy Orton! Pat sure has a lot of swagger when he’s been made untouchable. But what will he and The Viper do and say as they “save” WrestleMania?
Backstage interview with Royce Keys.
Cathy Kelley is with the Powerhouse and congratulates him on his big SmackDown debut win. This is an impressive debut, and they’ve actually known each other a long time, so she knows WWE has been his goal for a long time. How does it feel that he got to debut in a town just 20 minutes away from where he got his start? Royce says, “Aight. This is a long time coming, Cathy. I get to do this in front of these people, MY people, the Bay Area! Frisco, San Jose, Oakland, EPA, Vallejo! I’ve been around the Bay, now I’m taking it all round the world.” But then in steps Solo Sikoa. Long time, no see. They’ve got a lot of great memories from here in the Shark Tank.
Solo says good job out there tonight. Solo runs things around here on SmackDown, so if there is anything Royce needs, and he means anything, Solo’s door is always open. Solo heads back out, is he trying to bring Royce into the family tree?
Pat McAfee goes to the ring.
The fans boo as Pat swaggers down the ramp, but he gives them a middle finger to show the feeling is mutual. Pat grabs a mic and has them cut his music. The fans boo more, but Pat continues by saying, “San Jose, what a s*it hole!” As if the fans weren’t booing before, now they’re telling Pat off! Pat just gets on the corner to flip them off, and he says, “It’s crazy that you boo me. I’m the hero in this entire thing! You cheer for these spineless bums like C M Punk!” The fans cheer for Punk, but Pat asks if they liked how Punk called him Pat “Maga-fee.” For Pat, an adult with a brain, it is hard to take serious.
Because as Punk was talking about a lot of people that are a lot more important, a lot more famous, and a lot more in shape than Punk… It was hard for Pat to get past the fact that Punk was wearing an officially licensed CM Punk jacket, and underneath that was an officially licensed Punk shirt, all available on WWE Shop! Punk has 283 things for sale to all of the fans, and Pat wonders… When that TKO merch check comes through, which account does it go to? The needy families who can’t afford WrestleMania tickets? Or, and Pat’s got a sneaky suspicion, does it go right into the bank account entitled, “I’m Sorry, Saudi Arabia.”
The fans boo, but Pat says Punk’s a fraud! Like a politician: All talk, no action! A man who has the opportunity to change things, but walks into a room, gets on his stomach, and rolls over like the little b*tch that he is. Pat gives another middle finger as the fans continue to tell him off. Pat says HE is a man of action, an agent of change. Everything Punk says he is, Pat actually is. And when Punk mentioned the high ticket prices, especially when that floppy bag of bones is a main-eventer, Pat actually agrees! If not for Randy Orton, why would anyone wanna spend their money to watch WrestleMania?
The fans boo more, but Pat says he decided to be the hero, “you scumbags!” Pat tells the fatties to shut up or he’ll smack the left side of their face through the right side of his face! Even though none of these disgusting bums deserve it, Pat decided to help you out! Pat called Ram Trucks, the official sponsor of Mania, and asked if they wanted to help the fans get to Mania. They said absolutely! Then why not pick up 25% of the bill that buys a Saturday night ticket from this very moment to the end of Monday Night Raw! Ram said no problem! 25% off all tickets to WrestleMania Saturday, from now until Monday, April 13th! You’re welcome, San Jose!
But now, WrestleMania Sunday night? ASS! Don’t spend money on that! But 25% off to see once-in-a-century night as Randy Orton saves this business while winning his FIFTEENTH world title! Has San Jose ever won a Stanley Cup? Holy crap! Never?! ASS! Like the rest of this city! Randy will be a FIFTEEN TIME World Champion, in Las Vegas, after he absolutely demoralizes and pummels the puppet who is the current champion- WAIT! Cody Rhodes makes his entrance now! The fans cheer The American Nightmare and sing along, “WHOA~ OH~!” Cody gets the pyro, high-fives the front row, then steps into the ring.
Pat mocks the song, “NO~ OH~!” The second round of pyro goes off, Cody smirks at Pat and grabs himself a mic. The fans cheer Cody on, and he tells Pat, “I’m gonna go out on a limb here and just say, I don’t think you belong here. And listen, listen, I know I can’t touch you, but why don’t we get you a Fanatics replica title, they look just like the real thing. We’ll go back, you can go there, and you can pick any WWE Superstar you want. You can do their entrance, Vatam in the truck will give you pyro, you can live out your superstar experience, and then you can go back to whoever sent you here, whoever interjected you here, and you can tell ’em, ‘Thank you, Daddy.'”
Because there’s this crazy old term in pro-wrestling where someone would be called “a Play Wrestler.” Cody never understood what that meant until last week, when he was gasping for air under a 280 pound Randy Orton choking him with a chair, and Pat’s standing here doing catchphrases and the Attitude Era. Hey, bud, that was THIRTY YEARS AGO. Randy Orton debuted in 2002, he watched the Attitude Era in high school. So no, Cody doesn’t expect Pat to get what “Play Wrestler” means, either, or to know this: There was an old promotor who was very good at what he does. That was Paul Bosch.
Pat talked about the fans, the “IWC,” and the “marks,” all the buzzwords. Pat talked about makign this business great again. Y’know what Bosch used to say about those who called people marks? There are no marks, those are just customers. And when you grow up and everything you have is because of those customers, when it is your family’s life work, when you are a multigenerational wrestler, happy as can be to be in this spot, they’re no longer customers! Whether it is the collector at the airport with 70 Funko Pops and dirt under his fingernails, or that cool kid right there cosplaying as Cody Rhodes!
Whether it’s that person right there, that father, that family, these aren’t customers, they are FAMILY! And Pat, you have a gift. It’s not the kick he’s talking about. Pat has a gift. For the centuries that pro-wrestling has been around, no one has ever agreed on anything except this: For the first time ever, the entire fandom of what they do finally agrees that they wanna see Randy Orton, and they do NOT wanna see Pat McAfee! The fans here certainly cheer that! Cody tells Pat to go home. The fans cheer Cody on, but Pat says he IS home, you dumbasses! Pat was born to be in this business! Cody was born into the business! Silver spoon, gorilla’s golden boy!
All Pat sees is the fakest dude on Earth! Spray tan, dyed hair, fake teeth, lispy lips, and a $10,000 suit that Cody thinks makes him look good, cuz as Ric Flair says, “It’s the right thing to do.” But Cody is a cosplay champion! One that Pat will help rid the WWE Universe of, alongside Randy… Orton! And Cody, Pat has a message for Cody and his “inbred” family here. If Randy doesn’t walk out of WrestleMania as the FIFTEEN TIME World Champion, then Cody will never see or hear from Pat in this business ever again! The fans like that idea! Cody tells Pat that why not take the shades off.
Or oh no, is Pat too high to remember that he was standing on that table the last three years, YEETING his brains out? Wow, Pat must hate this place. And what was it he said? Pat was tired? He wants to take a nap? Good, let’s get Gunther out here to put Pat’s ass to sleep once and for all! Cody leaves the ring this time, but Pat asks where he’s going. Cody’s always been an elite runaway artist. Stardust, you gonna go to kiss HHH’s ass to get another opportunity? Get nice and deep between those cheeks! Cody throws off his jacket, and he storms back to the ring! But then Randy Orton is on the tron!
Randy tells Cody hold on, hold on! Maybe, just maybe, Cody is forgetting something. ORTON STANDS OVER JELLY ROLL! Orton says Cody needs to come get his boy! No, wait, no, on second thought, Orton will bring Jelly to Cody. Orton drags Jelly through gorilla and out on stage! Pat mocks Jelly, but Cody runs up on Orton at the ramp! Orton runs off, Cody calls for help, but then Pat sneaks up! Cody backs Pat off, but Pat reminds Cody that he can’t be touched. Then Orton CLOBBERS Cody! Orton UPPERCUTS away on Cody while the fans boo. Pat cheers Orton on as he puts Cody in the ring for stomps.
Orton fires hands on Cody in the corner, then he sets Cody up for Pat! Pat winds up and ROCKS Cody! But Jelly stands up! Orton CHOKES Cody, but then Jelly stares Pat down! The fans cheer Jelly on, and he guzels Pat! But Orton DECKS Jelly! The fans boo, but Orton tells Pat to wind up. Pat runs up on Cody, but Cody jukes to fire off on Orton! LARIAT for Orton! Cody ROCKS Orton, ROCKS him again, then fires off in the corner! Pat isn’t sure what to do, but then he CLOBBERS Cody from behind! Orton has Cody in the ropes, DRAPING DDT! The fans boo but Pat holds the belt out to Orton. Orton takes it and takes a longing look at it.
But then Orton CLOBBERS Cody with the belt! Pat tells Cody, your NEW WWE Champion! The fans boo, but will nothing stop Pat from making Orton a 15-time WWE Champion?
Pat & Orton head out.
They feel good about what they’ve done, and Pat says it feels like the last week has finally felt like WrestleMania Season. And do you know why? Because the focal point is the GOAT, Randy Orton! Randy is saving the business by becoming FIFTEEN TIME World Champion! Pat then brings up what Cody told him to do, and he might actually go do that. Pat tells the “marks,” they’re welcome. Pat & Orton take off in the truck, is Pat going to go thank this mysterious authority backing him?
Nick Aldis checks with the referees.
He wants an update as soon as they have one for Cody Rhodes & Jelly Roll. The refs head out, but The Miz & Kit Wilson step in. Miz wants answers! What is being done about referee Dan Anglar? That stunt he pulled last week cost Miz & Kit the tag titles! Aldis witnessed that “stunt,” too, and it was hard to believe. The ref counts one, two, then his arm cramps up. It was like something took over the man. Then something has to be done! Miz, there’s nothing to be done. The man was cursed. Miz says not you, too! Aldis says like many things tonight, this is just outside the scope of his control. Kit shouts, “WAKE UP, NICK!”
Kit says there need to be consequences for Dan Anglar! Um, Aldis is picking up what they’re putting down. How about an opportunity with Dan…hausen? Yes, Kit VS Danhausen, great idea, thanks for the help, Miz. That is, unless Miz thinks they’re cursed. THERE IS NO CURSE! Then they’re on the same page. Good luck, Kit! Kit & Miz are beside themselves, but will they be able to turn their luck around? Or will SmackDown soon be Very Nice, Very Evil?
Jacob Fatu VS Tama Tonga w/ MFT!
The Samoan Werewolf is in a fighting mood, well, a lot of the time, but especially after Drew McIntyre had to throw his past at him like that’s all he’ll ever be. But will Fatu tear into Tama as an example to the Scottish Troll? Or will the Good Bad Guy end up doing Drew’s dirty work?
SmackDown returns as Tama makes his entrance, MFT accompanying him, but only as far as the stage. The bell rings and Tama circles with Fatu. The fans rally as the two tie up, go around, and Tama puts Fatu in the corner. Fatu turns things around, but he backs off slowly. Tama and Fatu stare down, then Tama kicks low! Tama headlocks, Fatu powers up and out, and they RAM shoulders! Neither man falls but the fans cheer Fatu on. Tama head-fakes but Fatu ducks the sucker punch to UPPERCUT! Tama goes to a corner, Fatu runs up, but Tama dodges. Fatu hits buckles, Tama runs back in, and Tama fire body shots from all side!
The ref counts, Fatu shoves Tama, but Tama SPLASHES! Tama whips, Fatu comes back, and Fatu CLOBBERS Tama! Fatu kicks low, then winds up to UPPERCUT! And Mongolian Chop! And HEADBUTT! “YADADA MEAN!?” The fans cheer, and Fatu runs to handspring and MOONSAULT! Tama sputters as he bails out but the fans fire up for Fatu. Fatu builds speed and DIVES! Direct hit and Tama is sent up and over the desk! San Jose is thunderous as SmackDown goes to break!
SmackDown returns again as Fatu and Tama trade shots! The fans cheer Fatu, boo Tama, and repeat. Fatu UPPERCUTS but Tama UPPERCUTS back! Fatu BOOTS Tama, but Tama JUMP PUNCHES! And JUMP PUNCHES again! Tama whips, Fatu reverses, but Tama KICSK him! Fatu just fires up and LARIATS! And SENTONS! Tama goes to a corner, Fatu SPLASHSE! Fatu goes up to rain down HEADBUTTS! Fans count along and Fatu goes all the way to TEN! Fatu sits Tama down, runs corner to corner and back again, HIP ATTACK! Fatu gets into it and geeks out! The fans cheer as Fatu runs, but into a DROPKICK!
Tama gets Fatu up, underhooks, and hits PINCHE LOCO! Cover, TWO!! Fatu survives while Tama grows frustrated. Tama talks trash on Fatu, bringing up how Fatu is the one who abandoned MFT! Tama drags Fatu up, then dragon sleepers, but Fatu powers up and out! POP-UP SAMOAN- NO, Tama fights free and hits the TONGAN TWIST! Cover, TWO! Fatu survives again but Tama roars! The fans boo as the armbands come off, and Tama aims from the corner. CUT- SUPERKICK! Tama rebounds, but into the POP-UP SAMOAN DROP! Then Fatu puts Tama in the drop zone for the MIGHTY MOONSAULT! Cover, Fatu wins!
Winner: Jacob Fatu, by pinfall
Fatu gets the mic to shout, “YADADADADADA MEAN?!” But Drew jumps in from the crowd! Drew CLOBBERS Fatu, stomps away on him, then glares as the ref tries to stop him. But then Fatu SUPERKICKS Drew! The fans fire up as Fatu runs up, but into a CLAYMORE! Drew snarls, he isn’t done with Fatu! Drew TOSSES Fatu out, then brings him around to THROW into the steel steps! The fans boo as Fatu goes down in a heap! But now Drew grabs a chair! Drew stalks Fatu, looms over him with the chair, and SMACKS Fatu on the back! Fatu writhes but Drew isn’t done! Drew underhooks, FUTURE SHOCK on the floor!
Drew snarls as he rises up again. The fans boo but Drew brings out… handcuffs?! Drew grins as he cuffs Fatu, then brings him to his feet. Drew uses the cuffs to swing Fatu into the POST! Fatu falls in a heap again but Drew adds on! He POSTS Fatu again, then throws chain-wrapped fists into Fatu’s head! Drew then cuffs Fatu’s hands together, and slings the extra long chain around the post. Drew BOOTS Fatu into the post! The chain keeps Fatu up for just a moment before the cuffs give way. Drew just strings Fatu up again, and he asks Fatu how it feels to be back in chains where he belongs. Fatu is just an animal!
Fatu HEADBUTTS Drew! Fatu IS an animal, and he still has fight inside! But then Drew BOOTS Fatu down! The cuffs break again, so Drew stomps away on the floor! Refs and producers try to stop Drew but Drew puts Fatu in the ring. Drew backs Jamie Noble off, then takes aim from a corner. CLAYMORE!! Drew takes off his belt, he shoves Noble and even Daivari out of the way so he can LASH away on Fatu! Drew lashes Fatu with the leather again and again, only stopping because he’s finally satisfied. But will things somehow be even more violent when it is anything goes at WrestleMania?
R-Truth again teaches how to use the ESPN Unlimited streaming service.
Go to stream.ESPN.com, and when you sign up, visit the app so you can start right away. But if you have a TV cable provider, you might already have access to ESPN Unlimited. That means go to activate.ESPN.com! Any WWE PLE, any time, anywhere, at your fingertips! But wait, who is he teaching? DANHAUSEN! And Danhausen says yes, he can’t wait for WrestleMania! And after tonight, when he defeats Kit Wilson to become Miz’s new apprentice, he’ll take over the world! Sounds good? Yeah, that sounds real good! Damian Priest walks in and sees the trouble he’s in for. Does he even wanna know? Maybe.
Truth was just showing Danhausen how to use ESPN Unlimited. Oh, so it’s not Asuka anymore? What? No, this is Danhausen. Priest knows that, but Truth thought this was Asuka. No, he didn’t, that was Priest. No, Truth though tit was Asuka. No, Truth remembers Priest saying some little girl was running around with face paint. NO, that was Truth, too! Truth’s never said that in his life! Priest sighs. In what world would Priest ever mistake Asuka for- Wait, where’s Danhausen? Truth asks who Priest is looking for. But wait, now something is going on around the corner! Rhea CHUCKS B-Fab into a road case!
Mami smiles as she takes away one of Jade’s pawns, and says one to go. Priest & Truth look at Fab on the floor, and Truth says Rhea must not want Fab in Judgment Day. Priest says he must be the crazy one… But will Rhea make sure it’s just her and Jade when WrestleMania comes around?
Sami Zayn is here!
San Jose is torn on seeing #BigMatchSami make his way to the ring, US Championship in hand. Sami grabs a mic before he sets the belt down, and he says, “Okay, interesting reaction. Maybe it’s about time we nip this in the bud and we talk about this once and for all, because I’m not deaf, I hear what’s going on. And I feel the winds of change blowing, and I feel like that’s all that’s been going on for the last few months. Everywhere I go, everyone’s talking about change, even my close friends. I talk with Cody Rhodes, and what does he tell me? ‘Maybe you need to change if you wanna get further ahead.’
“And I talked to Randy Orton, and he says, ‘Maybe you gotta change, maybe you gotta be a bit more cutthroat.’ And then I come out here, and by the sound of it… It sounds like some of you wanna see some change, as well.” The fans cheer that. Sami says here is what they need to understand about him. His entire career, he has strived to give us something more. More than a hot T-shirt or a catchphrase or a viral moment. Sami has tried to give us more! He has tried to give us himself! He has given us something REAL! His heart, his mind, his soul! And he knows, yes, he’s not dumb, there are people booing.
But he knows for a fact that there are a lot of people here where all that means something to them! And those are the fans he cares about! When he meets fans, he meets kids, they’re crying, telling him they look up to him, that’s who Sami cares about! Fans who saw Sami’s journey and that got them through theirs, those are the fans he cares about! The fans in California that have had his back since day one! Those are who he cares about! That’s who he does this for, and he will never betray himself, because that’d be betraying the fans, and he’d never do that because he loves the fans! He will never change until he’s dead in the ground!
Now, for the rest. The ones booing, Sami must be honest, he doesn’t know what he did. Does anyone know? What’d he actually do?! The thing is, it’s okay, because Sami doesn’t even care. He doesn’t. The moment he realized that HIS fans, his TRUE fans, his ride or die fans, the ones in here, he knows they’re here and watching at home! Those fans, the second Sami realized those fans will have his back no matter what, then all the pressure was off, all the anxiety was gone, all the moping was gone. So like it or not, one way or another, in just nine days, Sami walks in and walks OUT of WrestleMania as US Champion!
But then the lights go down, and Trick Williams makes his entrance! Yachty also sneaks out here, still wearing the Gingerbread Man shirt. Trick & Yachty go to the ring, mics in hand, and Trick tells Yachty, “Y’know what I think?” “What’s that?” “I think the people are tired of hearing Sami Zayn talk.” The fans here cheer that, and Trick says this is Mr. Always Crying, breath funky like a donkey, just can’t get the job done Sami Zayn. And the truth is, the idea of having Trick’s first WrestleMania match being against Sami makes Trick wanna wash his hands with mouth wash and beat the hell outta Sami.
Because we all know the truth, Sami! Sami hates Trick! Since the first time he saw Trick, Sami couldn’t stand him! Sami couldn’t stand the sauce, the flavor, and thinks Trick doesn’t deserve his opportunities. Trick didn’t spend 20 years to get to this spot like everybody else. That might be true, but it is also true that Trick is the Anointed One, favor ain’t fair. Whether you like it or hate it, it makes no never mind, because Trick will beat dat ass at WrestleMania, let’s talk about it! Because everybody loves Trick Williams! Sami says that’s where he disagrees. They don’t love Trick, that takes a long time to build.
Trick’s been here what? Six months? The fans might like Trick, or even have a crush on him. They’re infatuated with Trick, and why wouldn’t they be? Trick is charming, he walks the walk, he has Yachty, he dresses like a 1970s pimp. What’s not to like? But here’s the thing, and look him in the eyes with the sunglasses off. Understand: Make all the jokes you want about Gingerbread Ginger Ale, but at the end of the day, you are in the ring with a WrestleMania main-eventer! And Sami will drag Trick into the deep waters. Everyone says Trick is the future, but Trick hasn’t shown Sami anything! At Mania, we find out real quick if Trick can walk the walk, of if he’s just talk!
Yachty says Sami sounds like a hater! Truth be told, you could take away the coat, the entrance, the lemon pepper- No, no, you don’t take a brother’s lemon pepper steppers away. But it don’t matter, materialistic things don’t make Trick Williams, Trick Williams makes Trick Williams! And next weekend at Mania, there will be a NEW WWE United States Champion, and his name is TRIIICK WILLIAMS~! The fans cheer that! But here comes Matt Cardona, and he is #AlwayZReady! But will he prove what Sami’s talking about? Or will Trick be better than even The Complete Cardona?
Trick Williams w/ Lil Yachty VS Matt Cardona!
The entrance finishes under picture in picture, and the bell rings. Cardona and Trick circle, tie up, and Trick headlocks to hit the takeover. Cardona fights around, fights to his feet, then powers up and out. Trick RUNS Cardona over, then he brings Cardona up for another headlock and takeover. Cardona keeps his shoulders up, fights to his feet, and pries the hold open. Cardona headlock s in return, but Trick powers up and out. Cardona RUNS Trick over, then RUNS him over again! Cardona eggs Trick on while the fans rally. Trick frowns as he gets up, and he circles with Cardona. But then Trick bails out, taking time to talk with Yachty.
Cardona tells Trick to get in the ring, as does the ref, and Trick takes his time stepping inside. Trick and Cardona circle, tie up, and Trick powers Cardona to the ropes. Cardona turns things around as SmackDown returns to single picture, and they go along the ropes. Trick powers Cardona back, then they break. Trick flexes on Cardona but Cardona just smirks. The two tie up, Trick headlocks, but Cardona powers up again. Cardona pries the hold open, but Trick KNEES low! Trick pie faces Cardona, but Cardona RAMS Trick into the corner! Cardona throws hands but Trick bobs ‘n’ weaves! Trick taunts Cardona with a stank leg, but Cardona ROCKS him!
The fans rally as Cardona fires more shots, then follows Trick along they ropes. Cardona smothers Trick, dares him to keep talking trash, then backs off. Trick KNEES low, then tells Cardona to get up. Trick scoops and SLAMS Cardona, then taunts Sami as he sits at ringside. Trick puts Cardona in the corner, CHOPS him, then scrapes his face along the ropes! Trick CHOPS again, feels the power in his hand, but Cardona blocks the chop to fire forearms! The fans rally as Trick throat chops Cardona! Yachty gets a shot in behind the ref’s back! The fans are torn, but Yachty gets away with it. Trick UPPERCUTS Cardona!
Trick whips, Cardona reverses, but Trick turns arm-drag into a whip! Trick hurdles, but Cardona LEAPING LARIATS! The fans duel, but Trick YANKS Cardona into the ropes! Trick runs up, Cardona KNEES him away, and Cardona goes up to MISSILE DROPKICK! Trick tumbles out, Cardona builds speed, and Cardona WRECKS Trick with the dropkick! San Jose cheers, then Cardona drags Trick up. Cardona puts Trick in the ring, dodges a shoulder and KNEES Trick down! Cardona then climbs up in the corner to rain down fists on Trick! Fans count, but Trick trips Cardona up at 3! Cardona lands hard, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns as Cardona CHOPS and ROCKS Trick, then runs, but into a LEG LARIAT! Trick rains down forearms on Cardona, then stops to catch his breath. Trick drags Cardona up, but Cardona JAWBREAKERS! And he blocks a leg lariat into a BIG back suplex! Both men are down and the fans rally up. Cardona rises, Trick follows, but Cardona ELBOWS Trick away! Trick comes back but into a BOOT! Cardona runs up to ROCK Trick, but Trick DECKS Cardona in return! Trick tells Cardona to get up, then brings him around to whip. Cardona hits a FACEBUSTER in return! The fans fire up as Trick goes to a corner and Cardona fires forearms!
Cardona digs his boot in, then stops to go side to side. BROSKI BOOT! Trick sputters, Cardona chicken wings him, UNPRETTIER! Cover, TWO! Trick survives the shoutout to The Hot Mess, but Cardona stays focused. Cardona runs up, but Trick turns Rough Ryder into a FLAPJACK! TRICK SLAP! JUMP NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Cardona survives and the fans rally up! Trick and Cardona go to corners, then Trick runs up! Cardona dodges, Trick only gets buckles! Cardona runs back in, but Trick TOSSES him up and out! Trick hurries after Cardona, and he LARIATS Cardona down in front of commentary!
Trick stares Sami down, Sami says just focus on Cardona. Trick SHOVES Sami into his chair! Trick then refreshes the ring count to put Cardona in the ring. Trick talks trash on Sami, Sami gives it back, then he gets on the apron! The fans are torn but Yachty YANKS Sami down! Yachty grins, but Sami gets up to HELLUVA KICK! Yachty just got knocked the hecc out! And Cardona has Trick in a roll up! TWO!! Trick is up, he dodges Cardona, TRICK SHOT! Cover, Trick wins!
Winner: Trick Williams, by pinfall
Yachty took the bullet for Trick, but Trick managed to win against Cardona after all. Trick helps Yachty to his feet, and Sami smirks. Will #BigMatchSami prove that Trick has no idea what’s coming for him at WrestleMania?
Kit Wilson w/ The Miz VS Danhausen!
Cursed or not, Mr. Tonic and the Hollywood A-Lister want to settle things with the “seven foot tall, 300 pound” mischief maker that is Danhausen. Will their luck start to turn around just days before WrestleMania? Or will things be Very Nice, Very Evil instead?
SmackDown returns as Kit makes his entrance, Miz by his side. The bell rings and Danhausen gets in Kit’s face. Kit pie faces Danhausen, but Danhausen ducks ‘n’ dodges to DROPKICK Kit down! The fans fire up as Danhausen wrenches and NORTHERN LIGHTS! Bridging cover, TWO! The fans fire up as Danhausen can actually wrestle! Miz coaches Kit, and Kit kicks low! Kit fires forearms, then repeats the MIZ principles: Master! Inspire! Zone-In! Kit wrenches, whips, but Danhausen ducks ‘n’ dodges to then slide out and side hug with Miz. Miz freaks out when he realizes it’s not Kit, but then Kit runs out to UPPERCUT Danhausen!
The fans boo as Kit shouts, “TOXIC! TOXIC! TOXIC!” Kit puts Danhausen in, then runs at the corner for another UPPERCUT! Kit keeps moving, UPPERCUT after UPPERCUT! Cover, TWO! Danhausen is very nice, very tough, but Kit brings him up to shout, “You are not real! The curse is not real!” But Danhausen JAWBREAKERS! Kit yoyos to hit the LARIAT! Miz says yes, good! Now go up! Kit hurries up the corner, and he flexes as he shouts, “Kit! Wil-son!” But then Danhausen sits up! “You! Are! CURSED!” And pyro goes off! It spooks Kit into falling onto his Wilson! Miz is stunned, but he gets on the apron to protest!
Danhausen hits Miz with a ROLLING ELBOW! Then he runs up on Kit, BOOT! Cover, Danhausen wins!
Winner: Danhausen, by pinfall
Miz is furious, and he slithers into the ring to… Wait, the lights go out! And when they come back, Danhausen is on the ramp! Danhausen celebrates his victory, but will he see for himself that he doesn’t need Miz to be the best?
Jade Cargill storms around backstage.
She asks if anyone’s seen B-Fab or Michin, but then she finds Mia down and out around the corner! And a broken kendo stick is next to her. Jade asks what happened, and Mia just says, “Rhea…” Jade says she’ll handle this. Will The Storm wipe out Iyo Sky so that it’ll just be here and Rhea? Or will the Genius of the Sky humble #ThatB1tch?
Rhea talks with Iyo backstage.
Rhea checks with Iyo if she’s good. Iyo says yes. Rhea admits she couldn’t stand by and let this be, she might’ve taken out the other two. But she still left Jade for Iyo. Iyo thanks Rhea, and asks she stay back here so there’s no distractions. Rhea agrees to that. But just do her a favor: Leave something for Rhea at WrestleMania. Iyo says no worries. Iyo heads out, ready for the main event! Will Iyo have her revenge? Or will the WWE Women’s Champion be primed and ready for Rhea at WrestleMania?
Iyo Sky VS Jade Cargill!
SmackDown returns as The Storm makes her entrance. The bell rings and Iyo runs up! Jade takes a swing, Iyo dodges, and Iyo rebounds to SHOTGUN Jade! Iyo fires off forearms, then headlocks tight. Jade blocks the takeover, powers up and THROWS Iyo to a corner! Jade runs up, bit Iyo dodges to ROCK Jade! Iyo runs, but Jade RUNS her over! Jade demands Iyo get up, then drags her around to scoop and SLAM! Cocky cover, ONE! Jade is annoyed already, but she whips Iyo to ropes. Iyo ducks ‘n’ dodges, redirects, then handsprings, Jade dodges but Iyo kicks low. Iyo runs, POP-UP DROPKICK!
The fans fire up while Jade tumbles out! Iyo builds speed and DIVES but into a forearm! Jade drags Iyo out to then pop her up, fireman’s carry becomes a SLAM onto the apron! Jade is fired up but the fans boo while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Jade brings Iyo around, whips her hard into barriers, and Iyo flops to the floor. Jade stalks Iyo, looms over her, then drags her back up. Jade throws Iyo into the ring, flexes and poses, then rolls in after Iyo. Iyo fires body shots, then forearms! Iyo runs, but into an ELBOW! Jade covers, TWO! Jade is annoyed again but she sits Iyo up to bring her over. Jade bumps Iyo off buckles, stomps a mudhole in, then digs her boot in. The ref counts, Jade steps off at 4, and Iyo sputters while Jade soaks up the heat. Jade drags Iyo up to snap suplex, then floats to the cover, TWO! Iyo is tougher than that, and Jade almost laughs as she shakes her head.
Jade drags Iyo up, whips her hard into the corner, then Iyo slumps down. Jade does pushups to show off, then she drags Iyo up again. Iyo fires forearms, but Jade ROCKS Iyo back! Jade storms up but Iyo BOOTS her away! Iyo goes up the corner, then leaps, but into Jade’s arms! Jade swings Iyo for the- DDT! Iyo turns things around but both women are down as the fans rally up. SmackDown returns to single picture as Iyo and Jade slowly rise up. Iyo runs, dodges, then ELBOWS! SHOTEIS! And DROPKICK to the legs! Iyo whips but Jade reverses, only for Iyo to slip outside, around, and ducks a shot! HOTSHOT on the arm!
Jade staggers but Iyo goes up! The fans cheer as Iyo MISSILE DROPKICKS! Jade flounders, Iyo handsprings, and the fans cheer the crazy taunt! Iyo fires up, the fans are with her, and she runs in, SHINKANSEN! Iyo drags Jade into the drop zone, then steps on her before going up the corner! Iyo rises, but Jade trips her up! Jade then military presses Iyo, only for Iyo to slip free into a SLEEPER! Jade fades fast as Iyo squeezes tight! But then Jade roars and rises up to RAM Iyo into buckles! Iyo holds on but Jade THROWS her away! Then BOOT misses as Iyo dodge! Roll-up, TWO! Iyo winds up, but Jade ducks the buzzsaw! BLUE THUNDER BOMB! Cover, TWO!!
The fans fire up as Iyo survives! Jade is stunned but Iyo is dazed. The fans rally as hard as they can for Iyo, but Jade sits her up and tells her send this message to Rhea. Jade guzels and CHOKE- NO, Iyo victory rolls to STOMP 182! The fans fire up while Jade sputters! Iyo fires up while Jade bails out. Iyo goes to the apron, and Iyo ASAI MOONSAULTS! Direct hit at the ramp! Iyo roars and San Jose cheers! Iyo puts Jade back in the ring, but Jade hurries to the apron. Iyo frowns, blocks a shot, and she SHOTEIS! Jade wobbles, Iyo victory rolls, but Jade blocks it! Wheelbarrow FACEBUSTER off the steps!
Jade shoves Iyo into the ring, then snarls as she storms in. BOOT!! Jade shrieks and howls before she chicken wings for the JADED! Cover, Jade wins!
Winner: Jade Cargill, by pinfall
Iyo was at less than 100%, but she still pushed Jade here tonight! Even so, Jade wants to make Iyo pay for it! Jade grabs a chair, but here comes Rhea! The match is over, Rhea is here to defend Iyo. Jade grins as she and Rhea stare down, and Jade puts the chair aside. The Storm leaves San Jose behind, but will she continue to reign in Las Vegas? Or will Rhea unleash her full brutality at WrestleMania?
My Thoughts:
A great SmackDown, though a bit talky, and maybe even tacky with Pat McAfee being the personification of TKO and WWE doing promo deals for tickets. Pat still delivers everything he says without fault, but he’s basically in that “Go Away Heat” territory. Plus, some still-to-be-named WWE or even TKO official (all in kayfabe) is literally protecting Pat. Cody had a good response to Pat, Jelly Roll had a good response to Pat, but of course Pat & Orton get the better of them. WWE isn’t failing to use wrestling tropes correctly, they’re just using the wrong pieces, or at least, the wrong cornerstone with Pat as “the man on the phone” when it could’ve been so many other choices.
Another example of right strategy, unfortunate pieces is the Jade VS Rhea build. Iyo shouldn’t be getting beat up and taking losses for someone else’s story, but that’s what we’re seeing. Rhea picking off Jade’s sidekicks was fine, but maybe that could’ve happened without dragging Iyo into this. And again I say, why no Asuka & Kairi showing up? They didn’t show up on Raw to cost #RheYo the tag match, and they didn’t try it tonight. Jade VS Iyo was still a great match, and that makes for a great win for Jade. Jade VS Rhea could still go either way, and yet I’m not sure how the story goes for either route.
Moving on from that, great stuff for the San Jose crowd to see their people in action. Well, Bayley didn’t win, but she and Bliss had a very good match. Great stuff there with Charlotte helping Bliss win like how Lyra helped Bayley win, and I bet it comes down to a “cheat” to win the Fatal 4 Way because for one, Nia Jax & Lash Legend really are strong and dominant champions and they’ll be protecting in a loss where one of the teams has to pull off some sort of trickery. Here’s hoping Nikki & Brie Bella are still okay to compete for Mania, too, it’d be a shame if we don’t get the Asuka-Kairi-Iyo story because Asuka & Kairi have to substitute for The Bellas.
Great vignette for Royce Keys, very good debut singles match for him, and a very good promo afterward. Solo Sikoa trying to recruit Royce because of their California connection, feels like he has instead set up the next feud for after MFT VS Wyatts finally finishes. Very good vignette from Drew to call out Fatu, very good response from Fatu, and a great match from Fatu VS Tama. Great win for Fatu, but then great attack from Drew. The cuffs could’ve been a bit better, but maybe they were gimmicked so as not to actually harm Fatu while he was trapped in them. But with this, Fatu has to win, right? Unless the twist is the one whodunnit all those months ago reveals themselves…
Good promo from R-Truth and Damian Priest with Danhausen, though, with Truth taking his crazy to a new level. Very good stuff with Danhausen and #MizKit, and a very good match from Danhausen VS Kit. The pyro “curse” was good stuff, and we got another great lights-out-retreat for Danhausen. Jelly Roll moving over to the Cody-Randy story, there’s no partner for Danhausen, but maybe just Danhausen VS Miz 1v1 will work for the story. Very good promo from Carmelo, Cardona, Trick & Yachty to set up Trick VS Cardona, but also good promo from Sami Zayn.
As I said last time, it is great that Sami’s giving us the passive aggressive Face that’s really a Heel before Cody does. For one, he found a way around blaming “the people” because he knows there are still Sami fans, and he is only caring about fans that like him. Trick VS Cardona was a very good match, and a very good win for Trick, but Sami getting one on Yachty was great, too. Sami VS Trick will be great, it could even steal the show, but the result could go either way. I personally would love another case where Sami takes advantage of something as a Heel would, but continues to insist he is the Face, and he brings all that heat to Backlash.
My Score: 8.8/10
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
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Classic Royal Rumble
Attitude Of Aggression #350- The Big Five Project: Royal Rumble ’97
The Big Five Project returns as the Attitude Era hits its stride with Stone Cold Steve Austin winning his first Royal Rumble Tune in!
On this special 350th Episode of the show, the Big Five Project returns as we enter the year PC Tunney has been looking forward to for a very long time. 1997 is here and so to is the Attitude Era. More or less anyway. We begin what will surely be an epic run of episodes here on the Big Five Project with Royal Rumble ’97. It was a night that saw the WWE return to a stadium as over 61,000 fans packed the Alamodome in San Antonio to see the boyhood dream come true all over again as Shawn Michaels reclaimed the WWF Championship from Sycho Sid. But it was also the night that saw “Stone Cold’ Steve Austin capture the first of his three Royal Rumble wins, and the most controversial of all of them as Austin was eliminate, but the refs never saw it. Austin’s victory would set off a wild chain reaction of events that would completely shift the landscape for WrestleMania XIII. In reality, the entire evening was a who’s-who of huge players in WWF at the time, even if they still were not quite fully aligned with the gimmicks that would launch the industry into the stratosphere. It was an epic night in every sense of the word so come with us deep into the heart of Texas and celebrate as the Attitude Era begins to hit its stride with Royal Rumble ’97!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
It’s a Collision of Honor!
As things heat up towards Double or Nothing, Darby Allin defends the AEW World Championship against The Spanish God, Sammy Guevara!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- AEW World Trios Championship Eliminator: The Conglomeration VS Lee Moriarty & The Infantry w/ Shane Taylor Promotions; The Conglomeration wins and denies Lee & The Infantry a title opportunity.
- AEW TBS Championship: Willow Nightingale VS Red Velvet; Willow wins and retains the title.
- Samoa Joe & Anthony Bowens VS Jay Lethal & Lee Johnson w/ Blake Christian; Joe & Bowens win.
- AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship Eliminator 5 Minute Challenge: The Divine Dominion VS Allie Katch & Kaia McKenna; The Divine Dominion wins and denies Allie & Kaia a title match.
- Six Man Tag: Mark Davis & The Dogs VS The Rascalz; Davis & The Dogs win.
- AEW World Championship No Count Outs: Darby Allin VS Sammy Guevara; Darb wins and retains the title.
PLAY BY PLAY
The Death Riders speak.
It was after AEW Dynamite on Wednesday that Jon Moxley said, “Every time I step into the ring with Kyle O’Reilly, I can’t find a way to win. It’s been failure after failure after failure. Kyle O’Reilly has tapped me out, twice. Ipso facto, Kyle O’Reilly will be the new Continental Champion. You might think. But the Jon Moxley of six months ago is not the same as Jon Moxley of today. Who I will be tomorrow is better than who I am today. Logic and strategy would dictate that I should stay as far away from Kyle O’Reilly as I can. Because there’s no doubt about it, Kyle, you have my number.
The thing about this Continental Championship, it’s good bait. All the dragons I wanna slay come right to my door. I will do what I’ve done for 22 years surviving in this business, Kyle: I’m gonna find a way.” The Maniac heads out, and Claudio Castagnoli steps forward to tell Brody King that Brody always brings the bark. But if he steps in the ring with Claudio in the Owen Hart Tournament, he better bring the bite. Pac then says, “Nobody gets special treatment. It doesn’t matter who you are, Death Riders against the world.” Daniel Garcia says yeah, let’s get it! Yuta repeats, “Against the world.” Marina Shafir tells the world, “Bring it, you p*ssies!”
AEW World Trios Championship Eliminator: The Conglomeration VS Lee Moriarty & The Infantry w/ Shane Taylor Promotions!
Well speaking of Kyle O’Reilly, he, Orange Cassidy, and the returning Mark Briscoe are going to put STP to the test! #TAIGASTYLE is still ROH Pure Champion, but Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo are upset after losing the ROH World Six Man Tag titles. Will STP take out their frustrations as they rumble, bad man, rumble? Or will the Violent Artist, Freshly Squeezed & Sussex County Chicken simply send #THEM home emptyhanded?
The trios sort out and Briscoe steps up against #BadNews&Tattoos. The fans are behind Briscoe as he and Bravo circle. They approach, Bravo kicks low, and he flips everyone off. The fans boo, Bravo headlocks, but Briscoe powers up, out, and headlocks in return. Bravo powers up and out but Briscoe RUNS him over! The fans cheer, and Briscoe runs. Bravo drops down, hurdles, but Briscoe hits a crane stance! Bravo says that’s stupid! But Briscoe ducks Bravo’s punch to UPPERCUT! Briscoe whips, Bravo reverses to ROCK Briscoe! The forearms go back and forth, Briscoe fires a flurry, but Bravo CLAWS Briscoe’s face!
Bravo runs, but Briscoe winds up to UPPERCUT! The fans cheer the Redneck Kung-Fu! Lee tags in and hits his tiger stance. But then Kyle calls to Briscoe, and Briscoe tags Kyle! The fans cheer as Kyle and Lee tie up, go around, and Kyle wrenches. Lee wrenches, slips through, and waistlocks. They go around, Lee switches but Kyle has the arm. Kyle arm-drags Lee down, double wristlock, but Lee fights around. Kyle body scissors, rolls to the cover, TWO! The fans fire up as the two go again, knuckle lock, and Lee headlocks. Kyle powers up and out, Lee goes up and around, but Kyle does the same to slide under.
Lee ducks a kick, then wheelbarrows to victory roll, then EURO CLUTCH! TWO! Kyle is up, Lee backs off, and the fans cheer the exchange. Lee points to Nigel McGuinness, wanting him to remember the Euro Clutch did him in the last time they faced off. Kyle storms up on Lee, Lee headlocks, but Kyle powers up and out. Lee RUNS Kyle, keeps moving, but Kyle drops down. Lee sunset flips but Kyle stays up! Kyle shakes his head, drops down into the ARMBAR, but here comes The Infantry! Briscoe & Cassidy intercept Dean & Bravo, fire off hands in corners, and Kyle shifts to an ANKLE LOCK! But Lee reels Kyle into a headlock.
Briscoe & Cassidy TOSS The Infantry, then go out after them. Lee waistlocks, Kyle fires elbows, and Kyle climbs up in the corner. The fans count along as Kyle goes all the way to TEN! Tag to Briscoe, he climbs up, and he rains down fists! Briscoe goes all the way to TEN, then he tags Cassidy! The fans fire up again as Cassidy winds up, climbs up, and rains down ONE! The fans cheer Cassidy while Lee stumbles. Lee tags Dean, and now The Captain steps to Cassidy. Dean says go ahead, put the hands in the pockets. Cassidy says okay, and he raises his hands, to then slowly, slowly, put them in his pockets!
The fans cheer as Cassidy then ducks ‘n’ dodges Dean, and still arm-drags Dean away! Dean runs up, Cassidy drops down to MONKEY FLIP! Then Cassidy kips up! The fans fire up, but Bravo storms in and whips him to a corner. Cassidy goes up, out, and ducks Bravo to bump him off buckles! Dean tries, but Cassidy bumps him off buckles! Bravo tries again, he just gets buckles! Dean tries again, he just gets buckles! The fans fire up as Cassidy climbs, but Lee trips him up! The fans boo while Cassidy falls to the mat, but the ref has to keep Kyle & Briscoe from going after Lee! The Infantry flanks Cassidy, but Cassidy bobs n’ weaves to dodge the shots!
Cassidy tries again, but the CARLIE CROSSOVER hits, then a feed to the SLINGSHOT SPEAR! Lee drags Cassidy to the apron, the ref is still distracted, Shane Taylor hits a GUILLOTINE LEG DROP! The fans boo but STP has taken control while Collision goes to picture in picture!
Lee drags Cassidy up, puts him in the ring, and Dean covers, TWO! Dean drags Cassidy up, whips him to ropes, then BODY BLOWS! Cassidy falls in a heap but Dean soaks up heat. Dean stomps Cassidy, drags him up, then bumps him off buckles. Dean tags Bravo to send him in for the SPLASH! Dean adds a SPLASH, then scoops while Bravo goes up, KNEE DROP SIDEWALK SLAM COMBO! Cover, Briscoe breaks it! Bravo is upset, but he CLUBS Cassidy. Cassidy fights the suplex, Bravo CLUBS him again and again, then suplexes through! Cover, TWO! Cassidy toughs it out but Bravo drags Cassidy over to the corner.
Dean tags in, The Infantry stomps away on Cassidy, but the ref counts. Dean stops to kneel on Cassidy, then steps off again. Cassidy throws “shots” on the leg, but Dean stomps Cassidy down! Dean then BLASTS Briscoe & Kyle! The ref reprimands but that just lets Bravo CHOKE Cassidy! The ref reprimands Bravo now as Collision returns to single picture. Dean asks, “Is this camera on me? B! B! C!” BRONCO BUSTER CAPTAIN! Dean bounces, Bravo says if you see Cap in that corner, yo’ ass is a goner! Dean drags Cassidy up, tags Bravo, and Dean sends Bravo in for the SPLASH! Then feed to Dean, but Cassidy tilt-o-whirl DDTS!
The fans fire up but Bravo hurries to anchor a foot! Cassidy reaches out, reaches out, but Bravo drags him back! Cassidy BOOTS Bravo away, Lee tags in, and Lee BOOTS Briscoe down! The fans boo but Cassidy swings! Lee blocks the lariat to wrench Cassidy into the COBRA TWIST! The fans boo, the ref keeps Kyle back, and STP links up on the twist! Four men strong and they make Cassidy suffer! The ref sees that, Dean lets go to defend his innocence, but that causes him to fall onto Bravo! Cassidy powers up to HIP TOSS free! Hot tag to Kyle! Kyle BOOTS Lee, KICKS him, then fires off a strike fest! LEG SWEEP!
Lee flounders to a corner but Kyle runs up to forearm SMASH! Kyle wrenches and ELBOW BREAKERS, then cravats for some knees! Snapmare and a PENALTY KICK! Cover, TWO! ARMBAR! The Infantry attacks Kyle! The fans boo and the ref reprimands, but Bravo drags Lee to safety. Bravo tags in, then he tags Dean. Bravo jukes around Kyle, lifts him up, BACK SUPLEX NECKBREAKER COMBO! Cover, TWO! Kyle survives but Bravo runs up! Kyle ELBOWS Bravo away, BOOTS Dean, then goes up! FLYING KNEE for Dean, LARIAT for Bravo! The fans fire up again because Chicken is rising! Kyle crawls, hot tags to Briscoe and Lee!
Briscoe fires off JAB after JAB on Lee, then whips, but Lee grabs ropes. Lee BOOTS back, runs up, but Briscoe dodges! FLYING FOREARM! The Infantry is back, but Briscoe dodges Bravo to ROCK Dean! Briscoe CHOPS Bravo, then repeat! Dean slips around, but Briscoe BOOTS Bravo away! Then Briscoe breaks free to PELE! Dean falls out of the ring, Briscoe reels Bravo in! Briscoe underhooks but Bravo fights free! Bravo whips but Briscoe WRECKS Dean with a dropkick! Then he RAMS Bravo and DUMPS him out! Cassidy DIVES to hit Lee! Briscoe gets a chair! The fans fire up as the chair is set up, and Briscoe runs, only for Shane to stand in the way!
ORANGE PUNCH for Shane! Kyle FLYING KNEES Shane down for good measure! Briscoe uses the chair to FLY! Down goes STP!! The fans are thunderous as Kyle gets Dean in, and Briscoe is up top! FROGGY-BOW! But that’s not all! Dean staggers into the kick, the underhooks, and JAY DRILLER!! Cover, Conglomeration wins!
Winners: The Conglomeration, by pinfall (denies Shane Taylor Promotions a title opportunity)
When it rains, it pours for STP! Will they just have to regroup and refocus taking over ROH? Will The Conglomeration continue to #ManUp here in AEW?
Will Ospreay speaks.
It was also after Dynamite that The Aerial Assassin told Samoa Joe, “My apologies for not getting back to any of your messages, been a little bit busy training and getting myself ready for The Owen. Surprised to see you there in the opening round, mate. It’s gonna be a tough one. But if you can just bear with me for a hot second while I explain to you… Six months of my life got taken away from me, mate. Six months, I’ve been sitting in front of a TV screen, watching AEW, looking at it, trying to get my strength back in my arms, rushing to get back. That’s six months of frustration, six months of anger. And then I finally had my kill shot on Dynasty, and I lost.
“And ever since then, man, I’ve been struggling with my matches. Doc even stopped one for my own safety. I’m annoyed that I didn’t get revenge on Jon. But I’m more upset at the idea that I can’t be the guy that AEW put their trust in once upon a time. Regardless of how I feel about Jon, regardless of how I feel about The Death Riders, there’s nothing that I can say that’ll make people ever understand. But Jon Moxley is the Ace, he’s a soldier for this place. And while his methods might be sick, there are people who stand up to see him get elevated. So what could it happen with him in my corner?
“Joe, I’ve got nothing but respect for ya. Everything that you’ve done in this industry. Mate, you were in the match that made me want to become a pro-wrestler. But no one, no one, is stopping me from winning The Owen. And I find it very poetic that the man takt took away my old life has given me a second chance of capturing the world championship.” The Billy Goat is ready to become something more, but will Samoa Joe make sure Ospreay goes Double or Nothing and loses?
Backstage interview with The Conglomeration.
Lexy Nair congratulates them on their win tonight, and brings up that Moxley has accepted Kyle’s challenge. Kyle says yes, Moxley is right, Kyle has his number. But facing Moxley has been the biggest test of Kyle’s career, so what’s one more test? This Wednesday, it’s a title eliminator, and after Kyle makes Moxley submit again, he is putting all his chips in and goes Double or Nothing! Briscoe says damn right, Kyle. And speaking of Dynamite, Tommaso Ciampa, Briscoe put it plain and clear, but he hasn’t heard a word from Ciampa! If Ciampa’s scared, he should just say it! Cassidy says Willow needs to say something.
Willow says sure, okay. Great job, guys, really. But for her, Double or Nothing, it will be TRIPLE or nothing, because she has THIS bad boy, the TBS Championship! But she’s also coming for The Owen, and the World Championship! As for tonight, Red Velvet may have beaten Willow to qualify for The Owen, but that won’t happen tonight. Welcome back to AEW, time to meet the Comeback Killer. Lexy says by the way, that match is next. Willow fires up, hurries off to make her entrance, but will she be ready to cook with The Chef?
AEW TBS Championship: Willow Nightingale VS Red Velvet!
Before making her entrance, the ROH Women’s World TV Champion tells Willow, “The Comeback Killer,” that she’s still salty that Willow is in The Owen and Velvet is not. Tonight, she takes out all her frustrations every time she stirs it up and punches Willow in the face. Yeah, Velvet beat Willow before. And in fact, she’ll beat Willow for that TBS title right now!
The introductions are made, the teal belt is raised, and we see if The Babe with The Power is still the Face of TBS!
The bell rings and the fans rally as the two circle. They tie up, Willow powers Velvet to a corner, and the ref counts. Willow backs off, and she flexes as she fires the fans up. The two reset, tie up, and Willow SHOVES Velvet away. Velvet is frustrated as she comes back and resets with Willow again. Velvet then slips around Willow, waistlocks, but Willow wrenches out. Velvet wrenches back, top wristlocks, but Willow stays up. Velvet kicks and TRIPS Willow, then steps over to LEG DROP on the arm scissor! The fans rally as Willow rolls and stacks Velvet, TWO! Willow gut wrenches, but Velvet slips through! Willow ducks, but the superkick still scuffs her!
Willow says okay, okay, and she resets with Velvet. The fans rally behind Willow as she offers a handshake. Velvet accepts, but then arm- NO! Willow stops the arm-drag, and the next one, then whips Velvet to RUN her over! Willow fires up, the fans cheer, and things keep moving. Velvet runs up to CALF KICK! Willow flounders to a corner and Velvet storms up on her. Velvet fires body shots, then stomps Willow down. The ref counts but Velvet does the splits as she digs her boot in! The fans are torn but Willow pushes the foot away. Velvet runs back up, but Willow dodges to LARIAT again and again! The fans count all the way to TEN!
Willow short arm- NO, Velvet ducks the shot, but Willow ELBOWS her! Willow fireman’s carries, Velvet sunset flips, but Velvet avoids the hip drop! Ghost pin, TWO! Willow FISHERMAN SUPLEXES! A deep bridge, TWO! Not quite perfect but Willow shrugs that off. Willow runs, but Velvet avoids the senton! Velvet hurries to STANDING MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO! Velvet snarls while Willow bails out. Velvet pursues, runs up, and ROCKS Willow! Velvet DOUBLE CHOPS Willow, then CLUBS away on Willow! Velvet reels Willow in, talks trash on the fans, but Willow suplexes instead! Willow stalls then SLAMS Velvet on the floor!
The fans cheer as Willow flexes and high-fives, and Collision goes picture in picture.
Willow drags Velvet up, puts her in the ring, then CLUBS her on the back. Willow stands Velvet up but Velvet fires hands. Willow CLUBS Velvet again, then scoops to SLAM! Willow pushes Velvet down to SENTON! Cover, TWO! Velvet toughs it out but Willow stirs it up. Willow stands Velvet up to CHOP, Velvet CHOPS back, but Willow ROCKS her! Fireman’s carry, AIRPLANE SPIN! Willow goes around and around, then back the other way! Willow then SAMOAN DROPS! Willow says that’s how you stir it up! Cover, TWO! Velvet survives but Willow reels her into a KOJI KLUTCH! Velvet endures, even as Willow puts on the pressure, and Collision goes to break!
Collision returns as Willow has Velvet in a corner. Willow runs corner to corner, but Velvet slips to the outside! Willow ROCKS Velvet first, then goes outside to fireman’s carry! But Velvet fights free! Velvet ROCKS Willow, Willow ROCKS Velvet, and Velvet sits down! Willow fires the fans up, then lines up her shot. Velvet stands up, Willow runs, but Velvet dodges! Cannonball crashes ‘n’ burns!! Willow writhes and clutches her back, but she’s somehow still in this! A ring count starts, Velvet rolls in before 3, but Willow rises up at 5. Willow hobbles her way over, rolls into the ring, but Velvet SUPERKICKS her down! Cover, TWO!
The fans rally as Velvet brings Willow up. Willow shoves Velvet, Velvet counter punches! And counter punches! Velvet fires a flurry, but Willow slips around to waistlock. Willow ducks the elbow but Velvet DDTS! Willow goes to ropes, Velvet runs up, DOUBLE KNEES! The fans fire up while Velvet yanks the ropes. Velvet wheelbarrows to BULLDOG! Cover, TWO! Willow survives and Velvet is frustrated. Velvet brings Willow up to ROCK her, then she runs the ropes, but into a SPINEBUSTER! High stack, TWO! Willow frowns as she scoops Velvet, RAMS her into a buckle, then OKLAHOMA- NO, Velvet DDTS free again!
The fans fire up as Velvet dragon sleepers, STRAIGHT OUT THE- NO! Willow stops Velvet to POWERSLAM through! The fans fire up as Willow gut wrenches, BABE WITH THE POWER- RANA! Velvet puts Willow back on ropes, and DOUBLE KNEES again! Velvet snaps Willow back, but Willow is up! Wheelbarrow and- FULL NELSON SLAM! Cover, TWO!! Velvet survives but Willow keeps on her. Willow ROCKS Velvet, Velvet ROCKS Willow, repeat! Willow rebounds to LARIAT! Both women are down again and the fans fire back up! Velvet rolls away to a corner, but Willow rises up! Willow runs in, Velvet dodges, but Willow BOOTS her!
Willow goes up but Velvet CHOPS! Velvet climbs up after Willow, SUPER VICTORY THROW! The fans fire up as Velvet then STIRS IT UP!! Cover, TWO?!? Willow survives and Velvet is shrieking in anger! The fans rally and duel as Velvet demands Willow to get up! But then Willow ducks the heel kick, and the buzzsaw! Shove, dodge, and POUNCE!! PERIOD! The fans fire up with Willow and she drags Velvet back up. Willow gut wrenches, BABE WITH THE POWER BOMB!! Cover, Willow wins!
Winner: Willow Nightingale, by pinfall (still AEW TBS Champion)
Red Velvet brought the fire, but she couldn’t cook Willow! Willow is now rolling towards Double or Nothing and her match with Alex Windsor, but will she then head for her second Owen Hart Cup win?
Backstage interview with Sammy Guevara.
Lexy Nair is with The Spanish God and brings up how he called out Darby Allin just last night at Supercard of Honor for the AEW World Championship. But just like last night, Sammy hushes “Chica” Lexy, and says, “Everybody’s Favorite Pillar is about to talk, so zip it and listen. Darby, I don’t need to call my shot against you because I looked through the history books, and history’s on my side. I’ve beaten you not once, not twice, not three times, I’ve beaten you four times. When I look at the history books, I’m a three-time TNT Champion while you, you’ve only held that belt twice.
“So I’m gonna beat you tonight like I’ve beaten you before. I’m gonna stamp my ticket to Double or Nothing, and MJF, I know you’re watching, you sociopath. I’m gonna beat you next week and I’m gonna shave you BALD! But don’t worry, I’ll give you a nice little fade. Because I am the best! I am the best wrestler, I am the best talker, I am the best this planet has! I’m the Spanish God, dammit! I’m number one, I’ve been here since day one, and there’s only one way this is gonna go: With me as the NEW AEW World Champion! Darby, your time is up, and my time is now. Because I am Numero Uno. That means ‘number one.'”
Sammy heads out, but is his big head only going to get in the way tonight?
Backstage interview with Darby Allin.
Collision returns and Lexy is now with said AEW World Champion. She brings up the five title defenses in 21 days, an AEW record! But tonight is number six against someone Darby’s known for a long time in Sammy Guevara. Darby says when he showed up today, he asked if anyone had seen MJF yet. Then he thought, “What a stupid question. Of course he’s not gonna be at Collision.” MJF is not a company man, he only cares about himself. And those same people asked back, why is Darby back? Why is Darby defending his title again? Double or Nothing is next Sunday, why is Darby risking losing this? Because Darby loves this!
And if there’s anyone in this company as crazy as Darby, it is Sammy Guevara. Darby loves it! Darby realizes this could all end tonight, and Speedball wants his match on Wednesday? Well, if Darby walks out here tonight, then on Dynamite, it’s Showtime! Darby thanks Lexy then heads back out. Will the Relentless Reign be an unstoppable one? Or is this one Collision Darby will not walk away from?
Something’s going on backstage!
Tommaso Ciampa is CHOKING Mark Briscoe out! The Psycho Killer SMACKS Briscoe off road cases, and says how dare Briscoe call him out! Their brawl now moves onto the stage! The fans boo as Ciampa fires hands on Briscoe as they go down the ramp! Ciampa whips, Briscoe reverses, and Ciampa hits barriers hard! Briscoe stomps away on Ciampa, the fans fire up, and Briscoe whips Ciampa into more barriers! Briscoe throws a chair into the ring, then he drags Ciampa up and in. Ciampa bails out, but Briscoe DIVES! Down goes Ciampa, and Briscoe just throws another chair into the ring! Briscoe CLUBS away on Ciampa, then brings him up.
Ciampa BODY SHOTS, but Briscoe sends Ciampa into the steel steps! Briscoe puts Ciampa in the ring, stomps him, then positions the chairs. Briscoe reels Ciampa in, underhooks, but Ciampa fights the lift! Ciampa then LOW BLOWS Briscoe! The fans boo but Ciampa just scowls. Ciampa then grabs a chair, and he SMACKS Briscoe on the back! Briscoe writhes, the fans boo, but Ciampa just stalks Briscoe to a corner. Ciampa DIGS a chair into Briscoe’s bad shoulder! The fans boo but Ciampa soaks up heat. Ciampa then brings Briscoe up, bumps him off buckles, and hoists him up top. Ciampa CHOPS, Briscoe sputters, but Ciampa gets the chairs!
Ciampa wants to recreate what put Briscoe on the shelf the past month! Ciampa JAMS Briscoe up with a chair first before putting it side-by-side with the other. Ciampa then climbs up, soaks up heat, and vows to end Briscoe once and for all! But then Kyle & Cassidy rush out here! Ciampa runs away from The Conglomeration, but he warns them all that he’ll get them for this! Briscoe grabs a mic to shout at Ciampa, “You ain’t nothin’ but a punk, son! You wanna do it like that? Sounds like to me Wednesday night, the only right thing to do is to make this ANYTHING GOES! NO DISQUALIFICATIONS!” The fans like the sound of that!
The Psycho Killer may have just stepped into it! Will there be nothing stopping Briscoe from doing anything he wants to Ciampa?
Samoa Joe & Anthony Bowens VS Jay Lethal & Lee Johnson w/ Blake Christian!
What a rich history of honor here, as two icons of ROH meet again here on Collision. The Samoan Submission Specialist helped build The Franchise Player’s foundation, and now both men mentor new proteges. But will The Lethal Twist see The Opps are #NeverLacking? Or will Lethal & Johnson make up for how Supercard of Honor went sour?
The teams sort out and Bowens steps up to Lethal. But Lethal says time out, time out, he wants Joe. The fans cheer for Joe, too, and Joe reaches out! Bowens obliges and he tags in Joe. The fans fire up as Joe and Lethal circle, tie up, then Lethal slips around to CHOP! Lethal likes how that went, and he Fargo Struts with Big Shotty. Joe just shrugs it off while the fans chant, “Joe is gonna kill~ you!” Lethal taunts Joe as the two reset, then Lethal slips around, only for Joe to JAB! JAB! JAB! Joe fires fast hands, a KICK, and Lethal flounders away! The fans cheer while Joe digs his boot into Lethal’s face, then scrapes him!
Joe storms up on Lee, Lee backs off, but Lethal bails out. The fans boo but Joe just tags Bowens in. Bowens dares Lethal to come back, but Lethal tags Lee. The fans cheer Bowens as he circles with Lee. They tie up, Bowens headlocks, but Lee powers up and out. Bowens RUNS Lee over, then runs the ropes, but Lee drops down, blows past, and slides under to then headlock takeover. Bowens headscissors, Lee kips free, but roles reverse as Bowens hits a headlock takeover. Lee headscissors, Bowens kips free, but Lee kicks low! Lee mocks the scissor fingers, then whips corner to corner. Bowens goes up, over, but Lee goes up and over in return!
Lee flips Bowens off, but Bowens THROWS Lee to the corner! Bowens CHOPS, CHOPS, CHOPS, then stomps, stomps, stomps! The ref counts, Bowens backs off, and the fans cheer the Pride of Pro-Wrestling as he jukes the ref to stomp Lee again! The ref counts, Bowens stops, and Lee bails out. Bowens goes outside after Lee, but Lethal runs up! Bowens mule kicks Lethal first, then RAMS him into the apron! And again! And again! The ref reprimands, Joe has his guy back off, but he is definitely impressed. Bowens hurries back into the ring to storm up on Lee, but Lee throat chops! Lee goes for a corner but Bowens blocks the bump to give a bump!
Tag to Joe, and Bowens clinches Lee into the RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Joe then runs up to SENTON! Cover, TWO! Lee toughs it out but Joe looms over him. Joe drags Lee up, puts him in a corner, then whips corner to corner. Lethal hurries to soften the impact, Lee runs up on Joe, but Joe dodges Lee so he can CHOP Lethal on the back! Blake gets up, but backflips away before Joe can grab him! Lee HOTSHOT BULLDOGS Joe, and Lethal MISSILE DROPKICKS! The Lethal Twist makes the numbers game work in their favor, but fans boo while Collision goes picture in picture.
Lee RAMS Joe into the corner, RAMS him again, and Lethal tags in. Lethal RAMS Joe again and again, then he tags Lee. The Lethal Twist mugs Joe, Lee stomps away, but the ref counts. Lee backs off, but that lets Lethal and Blake mug Joe! Bowens protests but The Lethal Twist gets away with it all. Lee then tags Lethal back in, and Lethal grabs a leg to trip Joe. Lethal then turns Joe over for the HALF CRAB! Joe endures, reaches out, and fights his way to the ROPEBREAK! Lethal lets go as the ref counts, but he sucker punches Bowens! Bowens tumbles, Joe hobbles, and Lethal goes after Joe. Joe CHOPS Lethal in return! And CHOPS again!
Lethal puts Joe on the ropes as he CLAWS Joe’s eyes! Lethal talks trash on Joe, then he tags Lee. They CHOKE Joe on the ropes, but the ref counts. The Lethal Twist stops, and Lee bumps Joe off buckles. Lee fires hands, then stomps, but Joe hits back! JAB for Lee, CHPO for Lethal, repeat, but Lee kicks low! Lee RAMS Joe, tags Lethal, and Lethal taunts Bowens before he SPLASHES Joe! Lethal then DROPKICKS Joe down! Lethal mockingly applauds himself, then he CHOKES Joe! The ref counts, Lethal stops, then he clamps on a chinlock. Joe endures while Collision returns to single picture. The fans rally harder as Joe fights to his feet!
Joe fires body shots, but Lethal CLUBS Joe again and again! Tag to Lee, then Lethal sets Joe up, but Joe BOOTS Lee! Joe whips Lethal away, kicks at Lee, but Lee blocks! Lee hands the foot off to Lethal to then ENZIGIRI Joe! Lethal adds a DRAGON SCREW! Lee covers, TWO! The fans cheer as Joe toughs it out, but Lee rains down fists! Joe pushes Lee away, but Lee brings Joe back up. Tag to Lethal, Lethal climbs, and Lethal AX HANDLES Joe on the back! Joe goes to an open corner but Lethal JABS, JABS, and JABS! Joe JABS in return! Lethal KNEES low! Lethal runs, but into the SNAP POWERSLAM! The fans fire up while both men are down!
The fans rally up, and Joe hurries to hot tag Bowens! Lethal hot tags Lee, but Bowens rallies with LARIATS and CHOPS! Then a wrench, clinch, and REVERSE NECKBREAKER on Lee! Then a kick, KICK, and FAMOUSER for Lethal! The fans fire up as Bowens then catches Lee to a torture rack! SWINGING SLAM! Cover, Lethal breaks it! Lethal CHOPS Bowens, then runs, and Lethal dodges Bowens so he can DIVE onto Joe! Lethal hurries back up, but Bowens DECKS him! Lee kicks, Bowens blocks, to Rock, Paper, Scissors, SUPERKICK! Bowens fires up, the fans are with him, and he clinches for the- victory roll from Lee! TWO!!
Lee SUPERKICKS Bowens, then brings him up in a fireman’s carry! ROLLING DEATH VALLEY! Lethal MACHO ELBOWS! Lee covers, TWO!! Bowens survives and the fans fire up again! Lethal tags in, he grabs Bowens’ legs, and he steps through. But Bowens BOOTS Lethal away! Lee tags back in, runs up on Bowens, HELLUVA KICK! The Twist then whips Bowens, but Joe saves Bowens from the splash! Bowens LARIATS Lethal! Lee LARIATS Bowens! Joe LARIATS Lee! Lethal LARITS Joe, but Joe doesn’t budge! Joe roars, but Lethal pokes him in the eyes! LETHAL IN- COQUINA CLUTCH! But Lethal JAWBREAKERS free!
Lethal trips Joe, steps through, but Joe trips Lethal up into the COQUINA CLUTCH!! Bowens intercepts Lee, THE ARRIVAL! Roll through, and DOUBLE WRISTLOCK! Bowens tortures Lee’s arm, LEE TAPS! Opps win!
Winners: Samoa Joe & Anthony Bowens, by submission
The 5 Tool Player shows the power of Joe’s teachings, but he also gets the mic to say, “For the last year, I have been confused. But I have found solace and clarity in the fact that i Have found a group of men, The Opps, that understand everything I do for this business, everything I do for AEW, and everything I do for you!” The fans cheer, and Bowens continues by saying everywhere he goes, he represents the fans, because he is the Pride of Pro-Wrestling! He is your hero! And to be honest, for everything that he does, he deserves a standing ovation! Joe certainly applauds, and the fans here in Salisbury join in!
Bowens says if you’re asking what this change of attitude is about… This man, Samoa Joe, has been teaching Bowens all he needs to know: choices have consequences; and if you don’t like the way the table is set, you flip that table over and you choose violence! The fans cheer, and now Joe speaks on the mic. “Oh, Ospreaaaay~…! Do you understand what I do for my friends? But unfortunately, decisions have consequences, and you chose a different road, Will. So allow me to say this: I am truly beyond honored that you consider facing me a dream match.” The fans cheer that, but Joe says it’s just unfortunate that when he gets Ospreay in the ring, “it’ll be nothing but a nightmare.”
Joe & Bowens have made it clear that no matter who, no matter where, and no matter what, The Opps will not show mercy. Will nothing stop The Opps from taking it all here in AEW?
Backstage interview with #Brodido.
Lexy Nair is with Brody King & Bandido, and wants to talk the Owen Hart Tournament. Brody is set to face Claudio while Bandido is up against Swerve Strickland. Now, if they both win their matches, that pits them against teach other in the semifinals. But what they also needs to talk about is last night, Supercard of Honor, Bandido retained the title, only for Swerve to attack. Brody tells Swerve that he warned him about what would happen if Swerve messed with the people Brody cared about! Next time Brody sees Swerve, he’ll- Bandido stops Brody there, and says no, no, hermano. Bandido loves you, but this is Bandido’s battle, and Brody needs to respect that.
So Bandido tells Swerve that this is a battle Swerve will not win! Swerve may be the Most Dangerous, but Bandido is the Most Wanted! And after Double or Nothing when Bandido beats Swerve, Swerve won’t be a danger to anyone anymore! Both sides of Brodido have spoken, but will either of them knock down Swerve’s House? Or will Swerve’s thirst for power be satiated with the Owen Hart Cup?
AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship Eliminator 5 Minute Challenge: The Divine Dominion VS Allie Katch & Kaia McKenna!
Megan Bayne & Lena Kross established just how dominant they are in the first 5 Minute Challenge last week, yet it seems two more poor souls want to test their might. Will Allie & Kaia at least last longer than the previous team? Or will The Megasus & Aussie Amazon score the fatality?
The teams sort out, Megan starts against Allie, and the bell rings. We’re on the clock as Megan and Allie circle, then tie up. Megan powers Allie to the ropes, then CHOPS! Megan whips, Allie blocks the lariat to wrench and PELE! But then Megan just rebounds to SHOTGUN BOOT Allie down! Allie flounders, Megan puts her in the corner, and CLUBS away from all sides! Tag to Lena, she whips Allie back into the corner, then ROCKS her! And ELBOWS her! And fires more elbows! The fans cheer, Lena BLASTS Kaia, then scoops Allie for a SPIN-OUT SIDEWALK SLAM! Lena grins, she drags Allie up, and she tags Megan.
Kaia runs up but Megan scoops her! The Divine Dominion SANDWICH the two, then FALL AWAY SLAM them both! And they SPLASH in the corners! And then another SPLASH! They send their opponents into each other, then DOUBLE LEAPING LARIAT! The fans fire up as Lena & Megan focus on Allie, DIVINE INTERVENTION! Cover, Divine Dominion wins!
Winners: The Divine Dominion, by pinfall (denies Allie Katch & Kaia McKenna a title match)
It was only one minute and 50 seconds this time, they’re only getting stronger! Will no duo ever remove Megan & Lena from the mountaintop?
AEW hears from the four fighting for the AEW Women’s World Championship.
Kris Statlander says, “At Double or Nothing, I face three women, one who I hate, one who I respect, and one who I’m still not sure about.” The hated one, Thekla, says there’s only one way this ends when she’s up against dumb b*tch after dumb b*tch after dumb b*tch. The respected one, Jamie Hayter, says she had the title stripped away from her and it’s eluded her ever since. And the uncertainty, Hikaru Shida, says even though it is every one for themselves, she knows she and Kris will be on the same page, just like always! Kris says y’know who really has her back? Kris herself! That’s all she needs! Jamie warns Thekla that she’s gonna find out, unfinished business is her favorite kind!
Thekla says Double or Nothing, the Toxic Spider destroys New York! A Fatal 4 Way of epic proportions await, will there be nothing left after the dust clears?
Backstage interview with Athena and Mina Shirakawa.
Lexy Nair is with the ROH Women’s World Champion and the Fighting Gravure Idol, and thanks them for accepting the No Physicality Agreement. They are on a collision course in the opening round of the Owen Hart Tournament, this has gotta be a tough one. Athena says maybe, maybe not, but the facts are this: Athena has been the ROH Women’s World Champion for over 1252 DAYS, and has left of dozens of bodies in her wake. Pretty sure Mina’s one of them. Mina says last year at All In, Athena broke Mina’s hand. Athena says so what! Last year at Death Before Dishonor, she kicked Mina’s ass all over the arena! Why does Mina think this match will be any different?
Mina laughs and says last night at Supercard, when she locked in the Figure Four on her opponent, she dreamt it was Athena. Athena says Mina is dreaming of her! So flattered! But she hopes Mina has the best dream tonight: Mina’s dead body in a ditch, next to her precious Toni Storm! Mina tells Athena that Mina has dreamt of winning The Owen and the AEW Women’s World title, while ending Athena! She can’t dream anymore, because now she will live it! Athena says sure, sure. They argue, but Lexy keeps them from getting physical! Will the Fallen Goddess be unstoppable even in AEW? Or will The Owen will be about #MinaNow?
Backstage interview with Lio Rush.
Nigel McGuinness tracked down The Problem Child, and walks over. Lio says hey, Nigel! Good to see you! He saw Nigel put in that work last night, he did great. He did really good. Nigel appreciates that, that’s what he wants to talk about. Specifically, what happened between Lio and his former tag team partner, Action Andretti. Action cost Lio the ROH World TV Championship, what is Lio’s response? Lio says it’s all fine! It’s fine! These things happen, Nigel. Losses happen, friends get upset. It’s fine. It’s fine. Lio keeps saying that, and Nigel says that is the official response. Lio again says it’s good to see Nigel.
But then Lio takes off his sunglasses to show off those creepy eyes. He smiles, and that black goo drools out… Lio continues to say it’s fine, but is it anything but fine? Or should Action learn to sleep with one eye open?
Six Man Tag: Mark Davis & The Dogs VS The Rascalz!
Before they team up for Stadium Stampede, the AEW National Champion teams with David Finlay & Clark Connors to test their chemistry. Will Dunkzilla, The Rebel & 100 Proof sink their teeth into Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz & Myron Reed? Or will The Rascalz light ’em up and smoke ’em in Salisbury?
The trios sort out and Davis starts against Dez. They circle, but then The Dogs rush in! The ref stops them, Davis runs up on Dez, but Dez dodges! Dez dodges again, SHOTGUNS The Dogs, then SUPERKICKS Davis! Dez jumps on for a SLEEPER, Zach tags in, and Myron helps out as The Rascalz mug Davis! They beat Davis down in the corner and the fans fire up! The ref counts, The Rascalz back off, then Zach tags Dez back in. They double whip but The dogs bail Davis out. The fans boo but The Rascalz run up to TRIPLE BOOT Davis & The Dogs down! Then they build speed, only for The Dogs to CLOBBER Zach & Myron!
Dez DIVES, but Davis catches him! And CHOPS him down! The Dogs beat up on Zach & Myron on the outside, Davis CHOKES Dez with a chair, but the ref reprimands. Davis puts Dez in the ring, Finlay CHOKES Myron while Connors whips, but Zach reverses! Connors hits railing hard and writhes on the floor. Myron whips Finlay into railing, and Dez dodges Davis as Davis runs up in the corner! Dez ENZIGIRIS again and again and again! Then Zach joins in, ENZIGIRI GAMANGIRI SANDWICH! Tag to Zach, they speed blitz Davis, then Myron joins in with a DOUBLE STOMP! The Rascalz combine, but The Dogs catch Dez!
The Dogs use Dez to CLOBBER Zach, and THROW him at Myron! The Dogs whip Zach, DOUBLE ELBOW, then SENTON! SLIDING SHOULDER! Davis SENTONS on top! The fans boo but Davis & The Dogs soak it up while Collision goes picture in picture.
Davis drags Zach up just to CLUB him down. Then he drags Zach up to whip hard into the corner. Davis tags Connors, Connors ROCKS Zach, then ROCKS him again. But Zach hits back! Zach backs Connors down, but Connors UPPERCUTS him down! Connors taunts the fans and The Rascalz, then drags Zach back up. Connors RAMS Zach into the corner, tags Finlay, and Finlay stomps away on Zach. The ref counts, Finlay stops, but then Davis CHOKES Zach behinds the ref’s back! Davis gets away with it, then flexes to soak up heat. Finlay puts Zach on the ropes, backs off as the ref reprimands, but that lets Connors CLOBBER Zach!
Finlay then hoists Zach up, BROKEN ARROW! Zach gets distance from that throw, and Finlay flexes. Cover, TWO! Finlay drags Zach into shoulder claws, and Collision goes to break.
Collision returns as Zach fires body shots on Finlay, but Finlay throat chops! Zach sputters, Finlay tags Connors, and they double whip Zach, but Zach BLASTS Davis! Finlay runs up, blocks a boot, but Zach reels him in, pushes him down, then hops over! Zach then slips under Connors, but Connors gets a leg! Zach BOOTS Connors into Finlay! Zach crawls, but Connors BLASTS The Rascalz! The fans boo but Connors CLOBBERS Zach, too! Connors soaks up heat then drags Zach up. Connors whips, Zach handsprings, JUMP KNEE! The fans fire up, both men crawl, and we get hot tags on Finlay and Myron! Myron ducks Finlay to then dodge and GUILLOTINE LEG DROP!
Myron goes up, up, and he leaps, but Finlay gets under. Finlay blocks a kick, spins Myron, but Myron DRAGON WHIPS! Connors runs up, Myron dodges, and Dez UPPERCUTS! SUPERKICKS! And CUTTERS! Myron runs up on Finlay, whips, but Finlay reverses. Finlay ducks a boot but the SUPERKICK hits! Dez joins in, DOUBLE SUPERKICKS! The Rascalz hoist Finlay up, SLINGSHOT NECKBREAKER BOMB COMBO! Cover, TWO!! Finlay survives but Myron tags Zach. Zach & Myron get Finlay up for a torture rack while Dez climbs, but Davis SHOVES Dez down! Connors saves Finlay, then Finlay hits an IRISH CURSE BACKBREAKER on Myron!
Connors SNAP POWERSLAMS Zach! The fans boo but Finlay tags Davis. Davis goes up top, Finlay and Connors get Zach and Myron up in Electric Chair Lifts, but Myron & Zach each POISON-RANA free! Dez goes up to get Davis! SUPERPLEX! The fans fire up while everyone is down around ringside! The Rascalz rise and regroup, then they build speed! TRIPLE TOPES!! The fans are all fired up as The Rascalz get Davis in! “This is Awesome!” as The Rascalz then combine for the SWING OUT TRIPLE DROPKICK!! The fans fire up while Davis is in the drop zone! Zach goes up, Dez tags in, and Zach SWANTON BOMBS!
Dez climbs up top, Myron tags in, Dez FROG SPLASHES! Myron goes up, he adds the 450 SPLASH! Cover, THE DOGS BREAK IT! The fans can’t believe it but The Rascalz go after The Dogs! They TOSS The Dogs out, but then the brawling continues! Finlay fireman’s carries Dez for a SNAKE EYES off the railing! Connors JEEP FLIPS Zach! The Dogs then go after Myron, but he goes Matrix to dodge! DOUBLE CUTTERS on the kip up! Myron runs, FLYING- NO! Davis stops the cutter to LARIAT Myron back in! Then Davis runs, hits the REBOUNDER!! Davis tags Finlay, and Davis PENDULUM DRIVERS! Feed to Finlay for the suplex!
Connors is up top, FULL CLIP!! Cover, Davis & Dogs win!
Winners: Mark Davis, Clark Connors & Davis Finlay, by pinfall
The Savage King warns Chris Jericho and his team that if they want carnage, they’re gonna get carnage! Will anyone survive the star-studded 7 VS 7 Stadium Stampede?
Backstage interview with Anna Jay.
Lexy Nair is with the Queenslayer and commends her on that great return match against Willow Nightingale a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to stop the Comeback Killer. Anna gives all the respect to Willow, her moves hurt. Maybe Anna dove into the deep end, but she didn’t drown. So while Willow is still TBS Champion, maybe Willow isn’t quite the Comeback Killer. Anna came back, is still here, and there is still a lot left for them to do. And by that, she means her and Tay Melo! The besties reunite, and Tay says if Anna is back, and she is back, then there’s one thing they gotta do.
Anna tells if they wanna find out what that is, #JustTryUs! TayJay is back again, but are they going to fight their way right to the Divine Dominion’s tag titles?
AEW World Championship No Count Outs: Darby Allin VS Sammy Guevara!
The Relentless One may have gotten MJF to accept the Double or Nothing challenge, but he is always up for a fight! The Spanish God still has the ROH World Tag Team Championship around his waist, but he wants even more gold to show off to his wife and daughter! Who gets what they want tonight to then head for Queens, New York?
As he makes his entrance, Sammy brings a table out from under the ring and sets it up ringside, planning ahead for the wild fight he and Darby are about to have! The introductions are made, and Darby kneels down with the belt, only for Sammy to STOMP him into it!! The ref reprimands, the fans boo, but Sammy holds up the belt as if he’s already won it! Sammy puts the belt aside, the bell rings, and Sammy KNEES Darby right outta the ring! Sammy THROWS Darby into railing, THROWS him in again, then goes back to his table! Sammy puts the table by the stage, then he drags Darby up. Sammy THROWS Darby into more railing! And more railing!
Sammy grabs a ladder and he brings it over to his table! The ref reprimands, there are no count outs but there are still disqualifications! Sammy doesn’t seem to care, he still stands his ladder up near that table. Sammy then lines up a shot, and he JUMP KNEES Darby back down! “I’m gonna be the world champion! Me! Not him!” Sammy drags Darby up, puts him on the table, and he rains down fists! Sammy climbs the ladder, goes to the very top, and reminds us that he’s loco! SUPER SWANTON BOMB through the table!! The fans go nuts as Darby and Sammy are both down in the wreckage!
The ref checks both men, and Sammy sits up first. Sammy drags Darby up with a headlock, brings him to the ring, and Sammy covers, TWO!! Darby survives and Sammy is furious! Sammy drags Darby up, torture racks, and GO TO- NO, Darby blocks and turns Sammy over! SCORPION DEATH LOCK!!! Sammy endures, reaches out, but Darby is looking dizzy! Darby falls over?! Sammy grins as Darby sputters, but the ref has Sammy hold on, he needs to check! Darby is conscious but dazed, and Sammy hurries to the apron. Springboard FROG SPLASH! Cover, TWO!! Darby survives and Sammy is beside himself!
Sammy pushes Darby to a cover, TWO! Darby refuses to give up, despite how it looks. Sammy puts Darby up top, but Darby fires body shots! Darby HEADBUTTS Sammy down, then adjusts, but Sammy trips Darby up! Darby hits buckle, then apron, then floor! Sammy soaks up the heat while the ref checks Darby again. Darby flounders and crawls but refuses to stop, so Sammy fires hands! Sammy climbs up on Darby but Darby fires hands in return! Darby shoves Sammy, Sammy goes up the steps and JUMP SOBATS! Sammy says #AndNew AEW World Champion! Sammy soaks up more heat, then he drags Darby up.
Sammy puts Darby in the ring, drags him up, then KNEES him low! Sammy grins, suplexes, and that’s just Uno Amigo! That means “One Friend.” Sammy hits Dos Amigos! Then THREE AMIGOS! Cover, TWO! Sammy is frustrated as Darby survives again. Sammy clamps on with a chinlock, not quite a bulldog choke, but Darby is still sputtering for air. The fans rally as hard as they can, and Darby rises up to fire body shots! Darby runs, but Sammy SUPERKICKS! Darby falls, Sammy covers, TWO!! Darby scrambles away but Sammy stalks him, and Collision goes picture in picture.
Sammy digs his boot into Darby’s face at the ropes, but the ref counts. Sammy stops, talks some trash, then stalks Darby to a corner. Sammy drags Darby up, whips him corner to corner hard, and Darby flounders out of the ring. Sammy pursues, drags Darby up, and he talks more trash on the fans. Sammy stands Darby up to ROCK him, then push him around. Sammy drags Darby up and THROWS him into railing! Sammy talks more trash, then walks around commentary so he can take a headset and tell everyone what he’s doing as he does it! He stomps Darby, taunts him, then has to go follow Darby around the way.
Sammy follows Darby into the ring, stands him up, but Darby fires hands! Sammy KNEES low, KNEES again and again, then ROCKS Darby! Darby falls over, but Sammy CHOKES Darby on the ropes! The ref counts, Sammy stops, and Darby coughs and sputters again. Sammy has the legs, he puts Darby under the ring, CATAPULT GUILLOTINE! Darby writhes and coughs again, but Sammy steps out to the apron. Sammy looms over Darby, drags him up by his chain, and Collision returns to single picture. Darby fights the suplex, then blocks a kick to FLIP Sammy! Sammy lands on his feet, but Darby SHOTGUNS Sammy down!
The fans fire up as Darby rises again! Darby has his second wind and he builds speed to DIVE! Into a CUTTER on the floor! Sammy puts Darby back in, Sammy springboards in, but into a REAR NAKED CHOKE!! Darby catches Sammy now and the fans fire up! Sammy flails, reaches out, but Darby pushes him down with his body weight! Sammy still endures, crawls forward, and reaches the ROPEBREAK! Darby lets go and the fans rally up again. Fans hope these two “FIGHT FOREVER!” but this has to end somehow. Darby sees Sammy on the apron, and he goes to the corner! Darby climbs, but Sammy rolls to the far side.
Darby hops down, waits on Sammy to stand, and he runs up, but into an eye poke! Sammy hoe up, and he APRON DOUBLE STOMPS Darby down! Cover, TWO!! Sammy is frustrated but he drags Darby up to the top rope. Sammy climbs up to join Darby, but Darby fights the suplex! They trade body shots, and Darby SHOVES Sammy! Sammy backflips through! Sammy is right back up top, SUPER SPANISH FLY!! Sammy crawls to the cover, TWO! Sammy clutches his knee and grits his teeth. Sammy brings the kneepad down to release some pressure, then stands up. The fans rally as Sammy hobbles over to Darby, but Darby JAWBREAKERS!
Sammy staggers, Darby runs up and fires forearms! The fans fire up as Darby roars and runs, but into a SUPERKICK! Darby wobbles, Sammy runs, but Darby blows past! Springboard and COFFIN SPLASH! The fans fire up again as Darby fires fast hands, RAMS low, then hops on, CODE RED! Cover, TWO!! Sammy survives and Darby is stunned! The fans rally up as Darby has Sammy in the dragon sleeper! But Sammy fires knees, snapmares free, only for Darby to ELBOW him away! Darby climbs, but Sammy SUPERKICKS the legs! Torture rack and GO TO HOSPITAL! Darby staggers around, but Sammy torture racks again! GO TO HOSPITAL!!
Darby flops down and Sammy goes to the corner! Sammy goes up top, FROG SPLASH!! Cover, TWO?!?! Sammy has no words, English or Spanish, but Darby flops out of the ring. Sammy goes out after Darby, and he brings out the other table! The fans rally as Sammy brings it over to set up by ringside. Sammy makes sure it is angled just right before he puts Darby on it. The fans boo, but then Sammy goes to the corner! Sammy climbs, reminds us again that he’s loco, and Sammy SUPER 630s only through the table!! Darby avoids disaster, then he puts Sammy back in! COFFIN DROP!!! Cover, DARBY WINS!
Winner: Darby Allin, by pinfall (still AEW World Champion)
As if his reign wasn’t wild and reckless before, Darby just doubled down with Sammy here tonight! And yet, he’s now set for a showdown with Speedball in Portland! Will no one and nothing stop Darby Allin from doing this again and again? Or is he about to write a check his body can’t cash?
My Thoughts:
A great Collision that not only fed Double or Nothing but did a great job following up ROH Supercard of Honor, assuring fans that ROH does matter after all, despite the lack of building contenders and therefore new champions. I mean, Athena is STILL champion, even when Survival of the Fittest was the best way to dethrone her while protecting her. But good interaction from Athena and Mina ahead of their Owen Hart Cup match, and if Athena is going to still be champion even now, she might as well just be a finalist already. On the other end, it’d be great if Willow also got to the finals to potentially be a two-time Queen of Harts.
Speaking of Willow, great promo with Conglomeration, great match with Red Velvet, but with Velvet still the ROH Women’s World TV Champion, it makes sense that Willow retains her title. Great Six Man Tag from Conglomeration VS Shane Taylor Promotions, and The Conglomeration’s win helps them build momentum towards all their stories. Very good promo from Kyle, very good promo from Death Riders, and I feel like Kyle should at least last the 20 minute time limit to earn his title match with Moxley for Double or Nothing. Meanwhile, Cassidy & Roddy are NOT winning against FTR, FTR has to settle things with Cope & Christian first.
Ciampa going after Briscoe, that whole brawl, and then Briscoe upping the ante for Dynamite, that No Disqualification match is going to be awesome. Very good tag match of Joe & Bowens VS Lethal & Lee, with a good win for The Opps. Very good promo from Joe & Bowens after, and a very good promo from Ospreay, too. Joe VS Ospreay could be a show stealer, but I would think Ospreay wins so that his story with The Death Riders can be part of the Owen Cup. TayJay being back together is great, and I can see them going right at Divine Dominion and easily lasting the five minutes to then earn their title match later on.
Great Six Man Tag of Davis & Dogs VS Rascalz, but with Stadium Stampede looming, naturally Davis & Dogs won to bring momentum for their team. I’d expect The Demand to have their own tune-up for the three-hour super show go-home next week, but they might’ve announced that tonight if that were the case. Very good promo from Lio Rush to further this Jekyll & Hyde/Smeagle & Gollum type of gimmick for him. For those who didn’t watch Supercard (or haven’t read my article on it), Action Andretti turned on Lio Rush and partially blamed Lio’s new dark side for it. RIP CRU, we hardly knew you, but Action VS this Lio is going to be great stuff between AEW and ROH programming.
And of course, another insane instant classic from Darby Allin as he and Sammy use No Count Outs to get hardcore. Good bit of selling from Darby to tease his body giving out on him, but naturally he wins out. They might do a similar spot during his match against Speedball on Wednesday to make it seem MJF has a chance of taking the title at Double or Nothing.
My Score: 8.9/10
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